A FREE VISITATION DAY
Last Friday as I was leaving my visit with Corey I was informed that the following Monday, Martin Luther King Day, was going to be a “free” day of visitation. In other words, the inmates would not be “charged” points against their visitation allotment. Wonderful! That meant I would get to visit an extra day this month! It wasn’t going to be a holiday for my husband, he would be working but at least I could drive on over. I’d actually been told a day or two prior about the Warden authorizing the free day, but by the end of that particular day I had received another update from my friend that the administration had "changed their minds". I was disappointed but this is the way it goes in the prison system. One just learns to roll with the punches. The fact that the inmates had been informed last summer that the Warden had specified all Federal Holidays going forward would be “free” days, didn’t necessarily guarantee they would be. And there has been a federal holiday or two since then that has not been a free day. But I knew better than to complain, it doesn’t change anything, I’ve long ago learned to just be happy (or at least “content”) for all and any tender “mercies” in this system. At any rate, they inexplicably changed their minds again and we got the free day.

In the course of our "free" day of visitation we couldn't help but notice how uncrowded the room was. It was quieter and several tables remained unfilled. This was no doubt due to the mixed messages re the “free” day. It would be helpful if the administration would post advance notices about any free visiting days, so the inmates could inform their loved ones, who often require a little bit of planning to make the trip out to this Camp. Taft Camp isn’t exactly a “destination" point, its more of a “detour" in that it sits quite off the beaten track, sitting alone as it does, in the middle of the desert. Most family generally have hours- long drives to the Camp. But the notices don’t always get posted, such as in this case. But suffice it to say, I got the notice, and I was there! We had a really good day, kicking back at our large round table that we had all to ourselves, indulging in yummy (not exactly) vendor machine delights - today we chose Mexican enchiladas (pretty much the same as the frozen tv dinner entrees in the supermarkets only smaller servings at 4 times the price), a few candy bars and water and sodas. But we don’t frequent this establishment for the food, just for the good company LOL.

As I headed to my car in the parking lot later that afternoon I noticed 3 young asian women seemingly “wringing” their hands, standing around their car with stressful expressions on all three of their faces. Did I by any chance have jumper cables??? Happily I could report that I did! The early morning had brought fog and low visibility and they had neglected to turn off their headlights after parking and heading for the visitation building. I know the feeling all too well! The same thing had happened to me a few years back, only no one was around with cables. Luckily we did have AAA, I made a call on my cellphone and a tow truck arrived within half an hour from the nearby town of Taft. Immediately following that episode my husband gifted me with a set of jumper cables.

Anyways, within minutes we were all on our way back to our “regular” lives, leaving the Camp and our loved ones to theirs.

Instead of counting your days, make your days count. ~Author Unknown.