The December weather has been quite enjoyable over the last few days. While the nights remained bitter cold, the sunny days brought delightful warmth since it has been in the 50s. The warmth just might be perfect timing for a little winged-critter. A few weeks ago, two female ducks collectively had 12 hatchlings. Today, only one duckling survived, because the others succumbed a short-lived fate to claws of predators, cats and hawks. During the spring months, there were dozens of hatchlings, but none of those survived as predators had their fill. Now, the lone duckling struggles for survival, but thankfully its been garnering protection from its fellow aves. Collectively, many inmates amply feed the 4-week-old bread crumbs to assist with the effort. A few days ago, a hawk began swooping upon the helpless fowling, so the geese and ducks united and began squawking and splashing water with their wings to steer off the hungry hawk. Amazingly, their joint effort successfully warded the hawk away for the duckling to survive another day. I had not encountered this avian village response from the waterfowl, even when the hawks bountifully plucked the ducklings in the spring. The unseasonable duckling might just be the lone progeny at Camp Morgantown for 2023!
For this week’s update, I just received a raise at my job from $21 to $28! I am grateful for the increase. The monthly salary for my job caps at $72, so I have quite the ways to go until I reach the ceiling. The pay increase means I must be doing a decent job since I have not electrocuted myself or burnt anything down (*knocks on wood). I also had my one-year formal meeting which is a legal requirement to have a progress meeting. The person who oversees the two-person meeting is a case manager. Mine shared that he would recommend me for the longest amount of time for halfway house and/or home confinement for one year. Sometimes these recommendations are granted, but mostly, they are modified to a lower term. I am not holding my breath, since much of my sentence still remains. His recommendation is a good thing, but I will have to wait until May for the recommendation to actually be placed in writing. All paperwork in the Board of Prisons works slower than a snail’s pace, which helps condition the virtue of patience.
On my 13th month here, my parents visited, which was great to see them. I am very grateful to each of them. They are now pros navigating through the flux of requirements for visiting (filling out forms, waiting, and listening to the instructions from the correctional officers). All the support, outreach, and love has truly made my “college” experience somewhat tolerable and helps me to focus on the day that I walk out of this place! Have a great week and continue to look for a little miracle in your life this week!
Ken Gaughan
Federal Prison Advocate and Consultant