"I have been studying how I may compare the prison where I live unto the world." (Richard II)

This morning my primary doctor at the VA Medical Center called and gave me the results of my blood work that I had yesterday. He reeled off a bunch of numbers and the only one that made any sense to me was my cholesterol at 167. My mistake was that I ought to have asked him to read off the numbers to Rhoda--she would understand them. Anyway, next time I go up there I'll get a copy of the lab work. He did say everything looked very good; therefore I really don't need the numbers, except perhaps to compare the results with the last lab work I had. With the price of gas nowadays and most stations charging $3.79 for regular, and tolls on the turnpike, it costs me $11 every time I go up there. I shouldn't complain though, because everything I get there is gratis. I get all my dental work at the VA; I've gotten my hearing aids there...$6000 worth according to the Audio specialist. And if I have to see any other specialist, which I do, it's no problem. I love it up there...I've never had to wait more than 15 minutes past my appointment time to see a doctor. Try that with private MDs.



I know everyone has been waiting for the next installment of Bobby's journal of his stay in jail--so here it is:

My Life in the County Jail: Pt. III

I would get out of work after dinnertime, and go to my bunk for some "alone time" and look at my pictures stuck under the metal mesh in the bunk above me. Pictures of my baby Katrina, Robyn, her mother, my '49 Harley, home, family, and pictures cut out of magazines like scenics and sunsets. Yeah, I had a couple bike magazines stashed away under my mattress,(a 1 inch thick foam pad with a bedsheet wrapped around it,) and one girly magazine until the guards found them and confiscated them during a "roll-up". This was an action they took when someone was breaking the rules. The sheriffs would come in en mass and turn all the lights on, usually after lights out (10:00 pm) and have all of us unroll and undo our beds and pillows and sheets and clothing and anything we had in our bunks until all you could see was the wire springs from the bunk beds and all our belongings in a pile the length of the barracks. We would have to line up outdoors and stay there till they found what they were looking for. Could be a bottle of apples fermenting (applewine) , or a "shiv" (homemade knife_) , drugs, or some kind of contraband. It would take them up to 2 hours to find what they wanted, and then let us back in to sort out and separate our things in 5 minutes and lights out! If I woke up real early (6:30) I could take a shower alone in the gang showers we had. Nothing to hide, just that privacy thing I mentioned. Off to work I'd go at 7:30 to print the menu the Sheriffs meals for the day and hand out the knives and spoons and forks for the cooks to prepare the breakfast meals. We prepared meals for 20 Sheriffs and 600 inmates in Camp Snoopy. Three times a day! The deputies would get a choice of scrambled or poached eggs, bacon and sausage, toast or bagel or English muffin, juice (5 kinds) coffee or tea or milk or ALL OF IT! The inmates got scrambled eggs and sausage with toast. Orange juice or milk. It was good except for the eggs, sausage, and brown looking orange juice. Remember, I ate what the deputies ate. They liked the work I did, and rewarded me for it. I think that’s where the expression ..."will work for food” came from.

More in the next blog, whenever that will be.