Tried copying and pasting the image itself. Didn't work, but that could just be me. Thanks again.

in the Community Help forum and look under Images:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1256&pid=1674

to a web site that hosts images, like photobucket, and then copy the URL from there.

Another reply to this question suggested Photobucket. I used to use them, but they switched to a payment model that put watermarks on images if you weren't a Premium member, and lowered the resolution. I balked and left it.

I use Imgur routinely in my daily TOON posts when I can't link to an image directly, and I haven't had any problems.

....if I'm a bit slow. Photo Bucket. Imgur. Photo has to be posted somewhere. I'll get it eventually. Thanks for your help, particularly with the eight year old post. I won't ask how you access something like that, as that's another discussion. Glorf and billh, thanks.

Often it will work if you right click and select "copy image address".

You want it to end in .jpg or another image format. Certain links won't work if websites forbid linking. When you paste it in, it will be a URL.

Any link you post that has a question mark in it - the question mark and anything after it can be removed.

Paste the link into the message, then hit preview to make sure it shows correctly. Some images just won't display from a URL.

DU won't let you post an image directly unless you're a star member. You can host your images on a site like photobucket or similar, then link them with the URL that way.

Below image in the message looks like this:
(although I had to add a space after https: to display the URL and not the image)

https: //nitrocdn.com/RSavaopYdlIxKCsCIiVuCEQqUGSsEhih/assets/static/optimized/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/020ee5d9f6a456f71f688ed56bb8655c.kitten-1-300x297.png

Without the space after https: it's a picture:

....that uses this image.

so on the above image remove the gallery and add the extension .jpg (you should be able to copy the direct link from within your image);

Thanks - I'll try that next time. My OP is already up and seems to engendering a lot "hot" responses. No one so far sees the humor of such a sing.

that will put the image.

....respondents to my question I've gone from "newbie in the dark" to almost knowing what I'm doing. The trick, as always, will be to remember this for next time. Thanks again. I've thanked everyone by name in the OP.

...2 things:
1- Bookmark this thread; the DU bookmark link is under the REC button of your OP. Your bookmark page is available through the "My Bookmarks" link at the top right of every page.
2- Use it. Post a picture just like you've done from the instructions the other folks gave here. If your looking for post fodder, check APOD now and then.

Use some of your own shots to practice. I sometimes capture part of a web page like the CDC cases in the US graph using the windows Snipping Tool. Then save it to my PC. Then upload it to https://imgbb.com/ and add the link to a DU post.
CDC:


APOD: