What’s An Xterra?

Posted on August 23, 2018 by TJ

I’m using EJ’s computer because I had to take mine to the repair shop this morning. Last night I lost my WIFI connection. I tried doing all the usual things: turning the router off and on, troubleshooting my connections, and restarting my computer. When my computer started back on, it told me that there were problems, it was repairing them, and then it would automaticaly restart. When it restarted again, it took me to my regular desktop screen, but I still had no Internet connection. Sometimes my computer gave me a message that there was no default gateway, whatever that means. My settings said that my WIFI was turned off, but when I clicked “enable,” it didn’t turn back on. Sometimes it didn’t even show that I had WIFI capability. This morning I called my internet service provider in case it was a problem that they could fix, but they said it was a computer problem and needed to be taken to a repair shop.

While I waited for the repair shop to open, I paid bills using EJ’s laptop. I do not really enjoy using his computer because it’s smaller, the keys are smaller and aren’t in the same places as mine, and, of course, it has none of my settings or bookmarks. But I’m extremely grateful he lets me use it.

Once the repair shop was opened, I headed out. I had other errands to do as well. EJ wanted me to stop at a thrift shop to buy an ice fishing shanty he had seen outside the building. The thrift shop is closed by the time he gets out of work so he couldn’t do it. I was going to stop at the thrift shop first because it’s on the right side of the road. In the summer the city fills with tourist traffic and it’s almost impossible to make left turns so we always plan our errands to make as many right turns as possible. I missed the driveway though so instead of turning around, I continued on to the repair shop. I hate going to the repair shop because I have to make a left turn into their small parking lot, which is on a curve on a very busy main street. I made it ok–and it was a right turn leaving, so that was good.

When I started to explain my computer problem to the guy at the computer repair shop, he said, “This is not a computer problem, it’s an ISP problem.” I told him that the person at my ISP said it was not an ISP problem, it was a computer problem. I explained the problem more fully and described the error messages and then he took my computer. He seemed to think it might be a problem with the WIFI card, which is sort of what I thought too. They are busy so it could be three days before they can begin working on it–I’m assuming work days, not weekend days. I’m guessing it will be about a week before I get it back. I hope it’s not more than that.

Anyway, I will have to share a computer with EJ now, so I will be on here only sporadically. During the week I can use EJ’s computer while he’s at work, but in the evenings and weekend, he will be on it. I know he will let me use his computer whenever I want, but I don’t want to cut into his computer time. I hate being without a computer but, oh, well, I have books to read, crocheting to do, and projects to work on. I will keep busy.

After I left my precious computer at the shop, I headed over to the thrift shop. Before I paid for the shanty, I asked the clerk if she thought it would fit in my Xterra. She asked, “What’s an Xterra?” She called a guy employee, and he went out to look at it, and he said, “It’s not going to fit.” He said that he would move it behind the store and EJ could pick it up in his Suburban after work.

Yesterday I put up 16 posts for the fence around the new extended garden. I tied a rope around a post that was already there and stretched it out so that I could get all the posts in a straight line. EJ taught me that. The soil (which is sand) was so dry that it poured out of the jaws of the post-hole digger so I had to pour water on the spot before I could dig a hole. (We were supposed to get “possibly heavy” rain on Tuesday night/Wednesday but we only got about 3 raindrops.) When I put each post in the hole I dug for it, I used a level to make sure it was standing straight. When EJ looked at my work when he got home yesterday evening, he said I did an extremely good job.

I was going to ask EJ to pick up some fencing at TSC after work tonight so I could get started on putting up the fence tomorrow. However, I didn’t think he could fit the shanty and 1-2 rolls of fencing in his Surburban so after I left the thrift shop, I headed over to TSC. I told the store cashier that I needed a 6-foot tall, 100-foot long roll of wire fencing. “Do you think it will fit in my Xterra,” I asked before I bought it. The cashier asked, “What is an Xterra?” He called another employee to go out and look at it. That guy said, “Sure, it will fit easy.” So I paid for the fencing, drove over to their outside yard, and the guy loaded it up for me. I think that I probably could have fit 2 rolls in the Xterra, but I wasn’t sure so I only bought one. EJ texted that he can pick up both shanty and fencing tonight. If he discovers that he can’t fit both, he can either pick up the additional rolls of fencing tomorrow after work or on Sunday.

downsized_0823181238 (1) — A roll of fencing

Once I got home, I drove the Xterra to the back yard and unloaded the roll of fencing. Ugh. It’s very heavy and after I pulled it from the back of the Xterra, I had to roll it over to the fence. I’m actually wondering if I’ll be able to put it up myself–but my determination enables me to do a lot of things that people think I don’t have the muscles for. I would get started on the fencing this afternoon, but I’m tired because I stayed up way too late last night trying to figure out what was wrong with my computer. Also, EJ said something about maybe bracing the corner posts of the fence. I’ll discuss the project with him tonight and see what he wants to do. Even if he wants to brace it, I can put up fencing to just before the corner posts.

I took photos with my camera of the posts that I put up, but they are on my computer, which is inaccessible. So I took the photos in this post with my dumb phone (i.e., not a smart phone).