Unprepared! April 29th, 2015

Sad to say my grandson is serving a short sentence in a California state prison. This is a serious blow, a bitter pill for all of us who care about him. He committed a crime for which he must do time, we understand that and at the same time regret it. Life has suddenly become strictly business, not too many laughs.
His Mother, my daughter and I traveled for a full day to visit with him on a recent weekend. Previously, before the sentence came down he had been a few hours away. We now had a longer drive, we could no longer visit and return home in one day. So we relaxed, made motel arrangements and decided that we had a three-day outing ahead of us. Though a visit to the prison is never a happy celebration, we had not seen our boy in a long time so we felt good about our trip and looked forward to it.
The day after entering the town of Corcoran, California we drove to
the prison to spend the day with Matthew, our boy. He has just turned 27, always will be our boy. As I presented myself with my ID, I was told by the deputy that I would have to change my clothes. I was wearing dark blue with a light blue top: blue is forbidden. I knew that, but I had forgotten as had Judi when she picked me up. It is obvious why: inmates wear navy slacks and light blue tops. If I were a criminal trying to smuggle someone out of prison, I would mimic their clothing! Instead I was shocked, I did not have a change with me.
The deputy suggested the used clothing shop on the prison grounds. The shop is hosted by a jolly group of women who apparently are quite used to the confusion that visiting families endure. One of the women looked me over and then showed me to a room where I could change in privacy. The room was lined with hanging clothing bars and bins with folded shirts. Someone gave me black sweat pants, obviously big, but easy to get into. Then Judi handed me a blouse, also big with a nod to style. So feeling like a clown I presented myself to the authorities who accepted the outfit and sent me through the metal detector. No bells rang. I had learned the hard way in another town that my bra must not be wired.
Now I have a list, forbidden items include: no blue, no orange either there is a list on the internet that includes no wired bras! It is always wise to keep jewelry simple and sparse and necklines high!
A visit to a friend or relative in prison is stressful. I was pleased that the women in the second hand shop were eager to smile and even giggle with us about my clown-like outfit. A bad moment was momentarily fun!