I'm up early this morning.

I'm up early this morning. I was sleeping very soundly until we had a big emergency (one of the cats needed petting). After that, I just couldn't seem to get back to sleep. So, I decided to see what's happening out in the world.

It's still very cold here. My computer tells me that it's 8 degrees outside and the wind is howling. It's pretty brutal. We only had one problem with our heat this winter for the first time since we bought our house, and that was because some part went bad. No problems otherwise. We have the coolest water system here (I'm sure the world wants to know this!). See, no matter how long a shower you take, we never run out of hot water. It heats the water as you need it on demand so we don't even have what you would call a water heater. It works great.

I got my winter clothing package sent to Sean. His mother and I coordinated this year and shared the cost of the package. Hopefully, he will get it before he transfers to Massachusetts. The opportunities are better there. There's more to do and more courses that can be taken. I know many of you reading this will say "...he's in prison. Isn't that suppose to be punishment for a crime?". The answer is, yes. But, according to most people in the criminal justice system, we are supposedly "rehabilitating" these prisoners so that someday they will hopefully become productive members of society. Do we want to just hold people for years and years to finally release someone who has no skills, and is probably just as bad (or worse) than when he went in? Wouldn't it be better to teach a skill to those who want to learn so that when they get out they can do something with their lives? I feel that way. Sean has a sharp mind and very much wants to learn. Twelve years ago he made a terrible mistake and now he is paying for that crime. Someday he will be free and it would be nice if he had some kind of life to come back to.

Tonight we are going to some friends house for dinner. I haven't seen them in a couple of years. It should be a good time.