I'd rather not go anywhere. If I need to go out for something I really have to convince myself of that. It doesn't take much for me to convince myself I don't need to go anywhere. but I was like that before the virus.

Nice that your mail carrier will accept outgoing mail. Ours won't.

You could still take a little drive. Yesterday our newspaper had a story about "The Sunday Drive", almost a ritual in my youth. So it's Monday...so what?

I happened to notice just today that seeing other vehicles driving down the highway makes things seem almost normal and that's a good feeling. I had to make a grocery foray this morning and it was uplifting to see other human activity. This being locked up every day and only seeing other people rarely with masks on their faces is very bad for the psyche. I guess my big question for the day is, why on earth am I seeing people all alone in their own vehicles wearing masks???? Seriously??? And another thing - now the grocery has one-way aisles - so if you need something on an aisle and the arrow is pointing the other way you have to go all the way down the next aisle and make a youee. But then when you look down the aisle you see that people of course are passing people who are stopped and lollygagging or just plain slow so what's the use trying to make everyone go in the same direction and keep their distance?? People are not sheeple, people!!! And not to mention this is just stupid.

Rita, I wondered about the masks in the cars too. Thought it was rather funny.

Rose you should just load up and go for a spin.

Enjoy the day!

Rita, if people are keeping strict protocol, its been suggested the masks not be removed until someplace where one can wash their hands. The masks are supposed to be treated as if contaminated if worn.

I've left mine on if going to the PO, followed by the grocery store 4 blocks away. But, I'm a little claustrophobic by then and have taken it off in the car after groceries and dropped it into a ziplock, used hand sanitizer instead of waiting until I'm back in the house at a sink. Sink with soap and water. But if you watch any of the clips by nurses in regard to removing a mask, it's only when you have a way to sanitize your hands afterwards.

Rose, you could go for a little drive without guilt IMO. Maybe even a drive up coffee if you need to refresh your mood? I went out yesterday for a short list at Home Depot. It was a little cool, and windy, and what I found was a line being supervised by two employees where customers were waiting to be allowed in one door. Exit was the contractors door. Garden entrance gated and locked.

I didn't even get out of my car. I came home again. To find my SIL and her husband were seated about 10' apart in my driveway on folding chairs from my garage and she'd brought chocolate chip cookies. Not an entirely wasted afternoon ;0)

Interesting point about keeping the mask on in the car. I just can’t. It is so uncomfortable to wear it shopping I can’t them drive with it.

Rose, I totally empathize with you. I have been going grocery shopping once a week, drugstore once or twice a month, and then the occasional post office.

Mentally,I need to get out. I go for walks within my gated community and it is lovely but..... I know every nook and cranny. It is hard to stay focused and not go out of my mind.

eld, do you listen to podcasts or music when you walk? It can be a pleasant distraction or compliment to familiar scenery.

We're on a lake 7 miles long, so my go to is a nice slow drive around the lake!

Makes me feel better.

I had a pile of mail that had grown since mid March that I was required to take as of today. To UPS, because one was a box. I was required to because the nursing home wants its money. Mind you, took the long way home just to listen to the music longer.

Elmer, I always take the dog. I don’t like listening to anything while I’m out. Thanks though.

>> And not to mention this is just stupid.

Rita, I'm not sure what you mean is just stupid. The one-way aisles or people stopping or being slow?

Sure, thought I'd suggest it. For me, it's the dog and an audiobook with an earphone in just one ear (so I can hear what's going on around me).

Chisue--loved your comment about the Sunday drive. Sunday drives were a huge part of my childhood. Always with the grandparents. It was a lovely time always.

rita - I have to admit that when I saw the one-way arrows and I needed something in the aisle that I couldn't go into - I raced down the other aisle just in case that what I wanted was gone by the time that I got there.

One grocery store has arrows but the other doesn't, the one that doesn't has very wide aisles.

I can't understand wearing a mask anywhere outside of a store. So you shouldn't touch the cloth mask because it could be contaminated, but you can touch your clothes and they aren't contaminated?

You are taking air in and breathing air out plus some moisture through the mask, not your clothes. If you are expelling air through articles of clothing, that's a whole other subject ;0)

eld6161 - OMG - I never thought of that! I will remember that.

Or if a blocker is near the close end of an aisle that you want to enter and the stuff you want is near the other end ... then the problem is that you need to go to the second aisle over (unless the next aisle is empty, you'll tow your cart... and you're fast on your feet, right?)

But then you're nearly sure to get caught when about 2/3 of the way down by some other shopper entering that one-way aisle going the authourized way ... so you should have chosen the second aisle over and gone in the authourized way in the first place.

(Is it more or less legit. for us oldsters to assist one another in learning how to be sneaks?)

ole joyfuelled

why on earth am I seeing people all alone in their own vehicles wearing masks???? Seriously???

Presumably at some point they're getting out of the vehicle. Or they did that already. So they either donned the mask in advance, or left it on because they forgot it or didn't care that they were wearing it. Not a big deal.

I'm going out for the first time in over a month with a friend to a mom and pop garden center. We'll both be wearing masks there, and we'll be outside at all times. I don't expect there to be any more people there than when I walk my dog in my hood. Social distancing will not be a problem. I'm not concerned with my friend because we've been together since I moved here in late Dec and we're both OK.

I'm leaving on a fishing trip with 2 friends today and really looking forward to it. One of the friends is retired and isolating for a few weeks and the other is working from home as I am. We have everything we need so no need to stop for anything. We'll go straight to my friend's cabin. The county we are going to hasn't had a case reported yet according to my state's CV website. It will be nice to have a different view of the world for a few days. Hope the crappie are biting!

I'm envious lonejack. Getting away with your friends sounds like fun. Enjoy! Hubby in the beginning of May is heading to his brothers house for spring gobbler. Hopefully when he is gone the weather turns and I can head to the garden center. I am sooo sick of being stuck in this house. There is just no place to go. Everything is closed except for the grocery stores. Really just how many groceries does a person need.

The scariest thing about all this is everyone mostly thinks about how to protect themselves when they break the rules....

And sadly ...how it is okay to break the rules...in their case

Rita, if you need help getting items from an aisle that is marked the wrong way for you, most grocery (Publix) employees will be happy to help you.

People sure do complain about small things. Maybe that is good?