Now it's really goofy.  For a while, I would start Vue from scratch and I'd  get my empty/non-functioning screen, and then when I clicked on File > New from inside Vue, I'd get my new one-sphere default screen.  I tried this a couple of time with the same result.

However, now when I start Vue from scratch, I get the one-sphere default screen right from start-up so now it's working the way it's intended.

I'm wondering if I am to deduce from this that Vue is alive and with a will of its own.  Scary, eh?

If it happens again, I'll try your remedy, TD, but I think I did the Run as Administrator-thing for Vue a long time ago, so I don't think that was it.