The dates of this course of instruction fall nicely into the leave period I’ll have after I return home from this Africa deployment. We’ll make a 10-day working visit to the Farm at the end of May, then I’ll put Derril on a plane back to San Diego and head on over to Virginia for some much-needed training for li’l ole’ Thistledog. Horses aren’t the only ones that need schooling.
I’m really looking forward to this. Been getting myself ready physically, too – years ago I could have jumped right out there from a dead stop; nowadays my stamina and strength don’t stick around without being called upon, and I haven’t done much physical labor lately. So I’m back to weight training and hill-walking to bring myself up to speed. It’ll pay off for the whole trip, as my project list at the Farm will have me up at dawn and working until daylight fades; got culverts to clean out, road ditches to re-grade, and the corral fence panels to re-paint and move. Getting strong and tough now will save me a lot of pain later.
One thing I won’t be surprised by is the heat. After a year in East Africa, my yardstick for comparing hot temperatures is mighty damned long.
Thistledog's Farm 
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