Want to learn to code. Ruby on Rails? Python? Others?

I have ZERO programming experience (save for some Apple basic in the 80's) but life situations have worked out such that I have some time on my own to spend learning some new stuff. I would really like to learn to write some basic programs/apps. I know virtually NOTHING about programming so even commonly-used jargon and technical terms just go right past me.

I began building an Arduino-powered cat feeder a few months ago and got stuck when it came time to program the board (my poor ancient computer was so old and beat to crap I couldn't even get the downloaded Arduino files to unzip and open. Ol' Shep has since made a final trip to the woodshed...). Now that I have a brand new comp with some actual power to it I can get back to the project. Getting back to it, though, has made me want to expand and develop a better understanding of programming in general. I know that Arduino has a bit of a reputation for being easy to work with for novices which is why I started there. But I'd like to be able to move into working on other non-Arduino based projects and I need to start somewhere. There are just too many languages to choose from and being such a novice, I really can't evaluate one vs another. I haven't even really started working with Arduino so I can't even compare anything else to that yet.

I'm not trying to become a professional developer; I'd really just like to be able to write a simple app or two here and there. Perhaps I don't know what I'm even asking? Thanks in advance for your help!