Hi Robert -
So glad to hear you got some special time with the black lab pups! It is so much fun to watch dogs play, isn't it? I can't get enough of watching our dogs play and wrestle - they are so funny! I looked on your FB and there is a pic of you sitting down with a black lab puppy. I will show my aunt next time I see her, which isn't often because she lives in Florida. She is a volunteer puppy raiser, just like the guys raise the puppies and train them in prison, except she does it in her home. She doesn't work for the organization, just volunteers her time to raise the adorable puppies up right! The puppy raisers are very competitive with each other, on whose puppy is doing the best. :) That's why I told you she said the prison puppies can't be beat - that is a huge compliment! It's obvious the love and time that is being poured into them, and the guys/gals take it seriously. I love your story about how it helps bring people together in the prison and makes the atmosphere just a little bit better. It is such a win-win program.

Yes, it appears the address on your profile page is wrong. Can you let them know to change it? I'll make a note of your actual address in case you need me to look something up for you again. I'm glad the list is helpful to you. To answer your question, I do try to read your blog whenever you post something. Your blog is among my favorites on BTB and I have an alert setup to email me whenever you post, although I think sometimes it doesn't work.

Congrats on winning the election! I'm sure you will do a good job. It is definitely a worthwhile cause and you seem to have the drive and knowledge to get things done.

I am going to look into the phone for T again. The company is GTL. Thanks for your advice on this, I will definitely look into it, I definitely appreciate your expertise on this subject. She called last night and sounded pretty good. I think I told you she is in quarantine for 9 months, until July something. She was told they can only order hygiene items from commissary, but recently found out the other women have been receiving food items in their quarterly packages! So she asked me to look into sending the brownies, Pop Tarts and trail mix she sees the other women eating...that will make this quarantine period a lot better if she can have a few treats. She has a little money and was able to buy herself a TV recently and is looking into getting the Jpay tablet, which will be new to her facility soon. It costs only $20 if she buys it the first month it comes out, rather than the $80 it will cost later.

You mentioned the inmates from your prison were sent to Muskegon in Michigan few years back. You did pretty well spelling that crazy name. :) That place is about 2 hours from here and is a town on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Running out of space...see part 2...

So you asked about our trip to CA. We try to take a trip every Feb to somewhere warm. The last few years we've done Sedona, AZ. We like the scenery there and the hiking is amazing. But then we got worried we were not seeing other places in the US, so we decided to try somewhere different this year. We went to CA to visit my old college roommate for a weekend, then took off on our own to visit Joshua Tree National Park for the remainder of the week. It was cool to see, but I guess our hearts are really in Sedona. Both are desert areas but Sedona has trees and some other plants that are green. Joshua Tree was pretty much brown. It was pretty in its own way and I'm glad we saw it, but it's not a place we will likely ever return.

I'm sorry to hear about your mom and hope you are able to connect with her this week. It is tough to lose someone, and I'm sure it's tougher in your situation. You asked if I'm a mom - I like to joke that I'm just a "dog mom". LOL We never really wanted kids and it's been a good decision for us. A lot of people don't understand it, but it is what it is. We're aunt and uncle to some special kids, and that's enough for us. :)

So on that semi-deep note, I think I'll close for now. Looking forward to hearing your progress with the Lifer's Organization and how things are going with the pups in there!

Your friend,
j.c.