Masks galore

I WENT TO the grocery store this morning to get essentials. Sheryl and I firmly believe coffee, eggs and cheese are crucial to life as we know it. I also bought beer while I was there, but only because I was already there. Right. Honest.

I used to go to our neighborhood HyVee on Harrison three or four times a week. Now it's once a week, to limit exposure. I have been wearing a mask the past few weeks. The store itself is asking customers to wear masks, and all the employees are wearing masks.

Maulers masks flatten curves and hide smells.

I will never get used to living during a pandemic, but the shock of seeing somebody wear a mask now has worn off. Remember the good old days when we could go to restaurants and outdoor events and not fear catching a virus? You have to admit, seeing somebody with a mask looked strange before all the stuff. You knew something was wrong with them and they had respiratory or other issues.

Now it's standard garb and no big deal.

This morning at HyVee, I did not see a single person without a mask. Not one. A week ago at least half the customers weren't wearing one. So we're making progress here, a little at a time.

I wore my Maulers mask and impressed everybody at the store. Well, not really. Nobody asked who the funny looking guy was below my nose, or if I carried extra pyro, or if I was at the Stink Weed gig in Swinegrass during the infamous Dutch Oven explosion. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you are way better off for it, believe me.

Anyway, we are wearing masks. Hopefully we are flattening curves. Hopefully we can think about opening our small business, sooner than later, but safely. You can't mask our optimism during a very dark time.