Seventy Second Visit to Taft

Oh, the highs and lows of the prison experience. We had some hope that Ron would be released prior to his July 27 date, but that never materialized. Just the possibility pumps you up, then when they say "no" it's a real letdown. Fortunately that letdown only lasted a few hours for both of us, and we are back to counting the actual days left. There are 56 days left after today. Sounds like 8 weeks to me, and I'm just so happy. I keep thinking of a phrase Ron started reciting after the first week at Taft. "Hope for the best, but expect the worst."

As soon as I got to Taft on Friday, Ron wanted to know how he looked. Did he look any different? I said not really, although I could see he had shaved. He has always hated to shave (luckily he has a light beard), but even more so at Taft because of the shaving cream problem. No aerosol cans are allowed, so they have no shaving cream. They shave with soap and water or hair conditioner. They never really get a clean shave, and the face is always irritated. Last week someone made Ron home made shaving cream. Now he's a happy man. He says it is so much better and it smells great. Too bad it took him over 500 days to discover this product. Here's what it is.

Taft Made Shaving Cream

toothpaste (any type with a mint flavor)
liquid laundry detergent
small plastic bottle.

Fill the bottle halfway with liquid laundry detergent, then add 1/4 bottle of toothpaste. (at this point the bottle is 3/4 filled). Mix ingredients well. Shake it up and you have foamy, menthol shaving cream. Necessity is the mother of invention.

When you think about being in a federal camp for over 500 days, the word "happy" does not immediately come to mind, but that is in fact the word I would use to describe Ron. He is genuinely happy. He has no fear, no stress. He says he has only been really unhappy about 5 days during the last 17 months. There are many frustrations for him that are unsolvable, so he has to learn to tolerate a lot. Today, with just 8 weeks left to go, he is a happy camper. More on frustration for the inmates and the difficulty some have adjusting to Taft life next week.