Janet,

When working from a chart you work bottom to top, right to left, then left to right, in conventional chart format. This is why the numbering starts from the bottom and not the top. You'll also notice the numbers start from the side where you would start; odd rows start from the right, evens start from the left. This represents the way you would crochet. Though you're not literally working from left to right for the even rows, when you flip the work over to work each even or "return" row, you're crocheting the side that goes left to right, though all you see when you're working is right to left, as you would normally see a project that you're working in rows. So when you get to the evens in a chart, you'll reverse your reading of the chart to start at the side where the number is, to keep your pattern from having every other row going the wrong way.

The numbering of your crocheting starts with the first single crochet row. It is not advisable to add an extra row at the beginning or your numbering will be off completely and this will get very, very confusing, potentially messing up your pattern because you'll be constantly trying to figure out which row you're really on and in which direction you should be working. If you absolutely feel a need to add an extra row for some reason, such as a border, I would suggest adding it after you're done with the chart.

Janet,

LOL, what a coincidence, I'm on my 325th project, too!

No, you're not a dufas. If it's your first time seeing a large graph, it would be very, very confusing.

Remember that if you're going from a word chart, the left-right rows are reversed for you; it's only in the graph itself that you have to reverse your reading of it. Also, in a word chart it starts at row 1 instead of the top, since a word chart isn't a visual pattern the way a graph is.

Glad to hear I've been able to help you!