Mature Life Features

… is the mother of invention, then inventions fathered Igottahavethat.

That popped into mental view while reading earlier today a list of most important inventions made during the lifetime of the writer of the article who was in his senior years. What he overlooked is dismaying.

Like gel-filled ballpoint pens that have allowed me to make notes so I don’t forget things without getting ink all over my shirt pocket. And polyester clothing that makes me pay attention to what I add to my wardrobe to avoid that cloying plastic.

Not to mention cordless phones, which I certainly wish had come along when I was younger so I wouldn’t have had to talk with my friends – and girlfriends — on the wall phone right next to my grandmother’s bedroom?

Pocket-sized Kleenex could have arrived earlier to save many a slap on the head for not having a clean handkerchief. (Remember your mother’s admonition: “Make sure you have clean underwear and handkerchief in case you get into an accident.”) I could have used the modern light-weight skis and boots back then, too.

Scotch tape arrived in time to wrap around the temples of my glasses when they snapped off during roughhousing and sports sessions. It still makes good safety covering for iPhone and tablet screens if applied properly.

Self-adhesive stamps and envelopes made paying bills less sticky. And what about Post-Its. No fridge should be without them.

Those handy palm-sized economy-priced LED flashlights make it easier to move around in the dark because you can stash them in kitchen drawers, bedside tables, workbenches, glove compartments, purses, pockets, everywhere and anywhere. They also help you find things you dropped behind other things.

He also overlooked those solar-powered yard lights that not only are eye-appealing but guide you around at night and provide vital lighting when the multibillion-dollar power grid goes down.

Other life-comforting innovations he skipped are adjustable-sized ball caps and double-jointed wine-bottle openers. Which makes it about time pull out a good bottle of red and enjoy the rest of the day.

– Cecil Scaglione