It's 11 days until I finish my 11 weeks here in Texas, and although I have enjoyed almost every minute of it, my primary goal now is just to survive.

My body has reached a point of diminishing returns, I fear, and just about the only time I'm pain-free anymore is when I'm sleeping. If it isn't my obliques or my lower back, it's my weak ankle or the blisters I've had on both feet for the last two weeks.

Somehow, though, I keep plugging away. I shoveled manure and then hiked 4.5 miles this morning, and I played 18 holes of hole at Flying L Ranch in the afternoon. My weight is down 53 pounds, but my ability to exercise seems to be getting less and less every day.

[caption id="attachment_529" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="On the links at Flying L"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/flying-l-guest-ranch-golf-overview-2.jpeg"><img class="size-medium wp-image-529" title="flying-l-guest-ranch-golf-overview-2" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/flying-l-guest-ranch-golf-overview-2-300x258.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="258" /></a>[/caption]

That's where golf does seem to come in handy. I've played three times in the last eight days, and there's enough<em> fun</em> in the exercise and enough exercise in the fun to make it worthwhile.

Every time I have played here in Texas, whether at Flying L or down in Utopia, I have played by myself. I am amazed at how much more relaxing it is when I'm not playing with other people, even when the other people are my friends.

I'm hopeful that the four days or so it will take to drive home will help me to feel better.

Until then, at least I can play golf.