Ten-Finger Exercises

More things you can't live without

Quick! I must read my catalogues that have piled up in the extra kitchen chair, because the supply that began in August and increased weekly has suddenly come to a complete halt. Somebody turned off the tap. Now we must take our chances in the retail stores. Maybe that's not part of the strategy; maybe it's got something to do with the delivery time and irate customers who order right up till Christmas Eve, expecting the purchases to show up before the big day dawns.

Now here's an item I wonder how I've lived without: the cheery surprise of art on my toast. What could be better than having a sunshine or a happy face branded on your bread? Or a birthday cake? Or a coffee cup? These lovely, playful images will charm the breakfast eater and remind the cook of the joy there is in providing food that appeals to all the senses. Special holiday designs of Santa, a snowman, a snowflake and a tree are also available for an extra $15. The cost of the versatile toaster is only $60. How can you overlook a bargain like that? Think of the pleasure it will give for generations. Your children will remember fondly their special "birthday cake" toast and think you were the best mother ever.

For a more expensive gift, who can resist a mattress topper that conforms to your shape and converts your old bed to a whole new level of sleep experience. For only $299 queen size, or $349 king, you can have the pleasure of foam that moulds to your body, making it impossible to roll over. And, if the heaviest part of you sinks deepest into the contour foam, does that mean your backbone will be anything near straight? I think not.

Sorry, that wasn't a useless gadget. That was my rant about body-conforming foam that is selling everywhere this year. It's like sand on the beach: once you make your form-fitting hole, you're stuck.

This item is a little high priced, but it's not useless and it gave me a laugh. For $50 you can have a weather-resistant grill light for cooking at night, as in the winter. I have a friend whose husband gave her a new power mower for her birthday one year because he worked so late he couldn't ever seem to get the lawn mowed. She gave him headlights for Fathers' Day!

Here's another 'new' idea with a familiar ring to it. For $50 you can buy a toothbrush holder with a UV light that will sanitize four toothbrushes. I remember the bathrooms in public places in Indiana in the '50's that had special seat lids for the toilets, with UV lights too. I don't know if that was a local phenomenon or a national fad, but it died out.

A bathroom scale doesn't sound like a very welcome Christmas present, particularly one that talks and tells you everything. This one, for $120, is amazing. It tells you not only your weight, but it distinguishes between body fat and visceral fat. It also "calculates total body water percentage, muscle mass, recommended daily caloric intake, metabolic age and bone mass."

I always figure I missed my chance to have a great bathroom scale one day when I stood in line at the Base Exchange in Japan. The lady in front of me had one to return: it weighed everyone at 130 lbs. I'm sure that was worth more than the 9.99 she paid. Darn. Why didn't I think ahead?

The Big Dog catalogue was fun to read. There were at least fifty tee shirts that I'd never dream of wearing or buying for anyone else, but were good for a few laughs. I'm not sure my blog rating is high enough to tell you though. I've met writers here at WDC who write poetry, short stories, and even novels, but I've never met one who writes tee shirts. Have you?