Just how comfortable are you (in a mask)?

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 you. They pinch, I can't figure out how to wear them with a visor, and it's hard to breathe easily.

They do make for a more comfortable environment just now.

Some thoughts gathered over the Memorial Day weekend:

* I have no desire to join a large group of folks, even outdoors. This was the case at Arsenal Island where I tried to visit my Dad's grave and see the decorations I had ordered. All visitors had to show identification at the entrance, and I had the ID, but the guard showed me that it had expired. Dang! I could see a line of visitors outside the building where you get the ID cards, and decided I would not join them, no way, no how. Dad would understand.

* Distance eating indoors is not for me. We recently ran several errands in Davenport and stopped for a bite to eat at a well-known restaurant. We wore masks indoors, to order food. The place was immaculate, with tables taped off for safety reasons. As we finished ordering, an elderly couple, plus another couple, entered with no masks. They found a table about six feet from ours', and I could not have been more nervous or shaky. We removed our masks to eat, of course, but exited the premises as soon as possible.

* Shopping at garden centers is a necessity for this blogger, this time of year. I wore a mask while indoors at Wallace's, as did most other shoppers. When I stopped outdoors at a garden stand set-up at HyVee, I carried a mask. I put it on for a while but ended up carrying it around. The helpers in this garden center were not wearing masks.

* Menard's requires that all customers wear masks, and that is a most comfortable retail environment.

The bottom line is that while I don't personally like masks, I do feel safer with them, and mostly when others are wearing them out in public. It will be a while before I don't carry a mask around.

How about you?