Baker's heartbeat

Both of these masks are off Etsy; one for all the blue I wear, one for when I want to show my collegiate colors. We also have some plain white masks and those made from Deere & Co. fabric. The world is starting to open up and we now are faced with a new set of decisions: How comfortable is it to go out ... And live? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, is headquartered in Atlanta. These are the folks who set public health policy in the United States. Current federal recommendations are for most everyone to wear masks when social distancing techniques are not feasible. This makes for an ongoing discussion among family, friends and neighbors. We've met a couple of times for "Distance socializing," where couples sit in pairs of chairs, six feet apart. That, all agree, is comfortable. Not to mention, good for psychological health. No masks are worn. But get out in stores, or restaurants, and then what? Masks are not my favorite thing, mind ...

  Carol Baker and youngest great-granddaughter, Myla, in 2019   Scenes from the funeral: Oakdale Cemetery Baker family gravesite   Scenes from the funeral: A tribute poster. Carol Baker's youngest great-granddaughter, Myla. We thought we had a little more time to say good-bye to the Baker family matriarch, Carol Joan Baker, but no. She passed away last Saturday afternoon. Her children, Steve Baker and Cindy Hayes, were with their mom, right to the end. She died of complications from Alzheimer's disease, which she and her husband of 64 years, Don, contracted some time ago. Don died on Jan. 24, 2014, when the Iowa winter was at its worst. Carol left us May 9 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the difficulties of losing loved ones these days are documented nation-wide, our family experienced a whole lot of compassion from all involved. The staff at the nursing home in West Liberty let Steve and Cindy visit their mother, for one thing. They were...