A mask for everything

Over the past several months, I have acquired quite a few different face masks. I have a couple (butterfly print, plaid) that my sister Trish made. A bunch I bought on Etsy - plain black or plain white. Some bandana-style masks I've never worn, that I'll be donating to St. Francis House. (I don't like the fit.) A couple of neck gaiters I found on Amazon. And a package of throw-away masks a friend gave me. 

Day in, day out, when I step outside my door, I've got a mask on. (Or, as when I was on the Cape last week, with few people about, I've got a mask hanging around my neck or off of my ear so I can hastily cover mouth and nose if anyone comes within sight.)

Some of my masks are hook over the ears style. Others are elastic behind the back of the headers.

The only mask that I have that's themed is my Red Sox mask. 

Looks like I've been missing out.

I could have been buying any number of masks that showed off my  true colors or fandom.

I could be sporting a Vote mask. Better yet, a VOTE BLUE one, although in my neighborhood, that's not really all that necessary. 

If I were a New York, I might want to get me a pizza rat neck gaiter. Or not.

If I were so inclined, I could be breathing through the Beatles, or Bruce Springsteen and Clarence Clemmons. 

Sure, it says Born to Run, but it really means born to walk around, for the foreseeable future, wearing a mask that, no matter what measures you take, ends up fogging your glasses. And which is a tiny bit difficult to breathe through, which is no big deal. It's just that it's easier to breathe through your nose (or, if you're a mouth-breather, through your mouth) when it's not covered with cloth, or paper, whatever the ply.

If COVID-19 has done nothing else, it's created a business opportunity for every Etsy dreamer with a sewing machine who's out there. 

But some have overstepped a bit. As in the entrepreneur who figured that Jethro Tull fans would want to show off their allegiance to the band. 

At least I'm assuming it's the band, and not the 17th-18th century British agronomist for whom the band is named. And Jethro Tull, the band, is thinking the same. Because, once they saw that someone was out there selling masks for those who wanted to take an aqualung-ful through a JT mask, they issued the following statement:

It has come to our intention that others are trying to profit from the sale of Jethro Tull branded so-called face masks, some claiming to offer protection against the COVID disease. We wish to entirely disassociate ourselves from any such product.

I think they mean attention here, and not intention. But the point is made. And if you don't get the point, they even have an x'd out version of the mask pic on their website. 

You'd have to be thick as a brick to believe that all you need to do to prevent COVID is where a mask. But the current wisdom is that wearing a mask - especially when inside and exposed to others outside your bubble, or outside in a non-socially distanced situation - does some good. And I'm living in a highly compliant city, that has had high instances of coronavirus, and that's seeing it's numbers heading in the right direction. Thanks in part, no doubt, to our gold-star-on-the-forehead compliance with the mask requirements. 

So I'll keep up with the wearing of the mask. And keep up with the 20-second washing of the hands thang. And occasionally swabbing my doorknobs and lightswitches with disinfectant. And the stay out of crowds.

While still hoping that I have already had, or will shortly contract, a super-mild version of COVID-19 that will grant me at least some immunity.

Imagine, there's even a mask for that thought...