Gizmos

As we were growing up, we used to laugh at my dad for having so many gizmos. No gift delighted him more than some sort of gadget designed to make life easier. He was the first to have a weed popper - a stick with prongs on the end to insert beneath the dandelion roots, then step on the lever to pop them out of the ground. He had a yellow flag on the mailbox that sprung up when the door was opened, letting him know that the mail had arrived. He had a knob on his steering wheel that enabled him to turn it with one hand. He claims he never had a clapper to turn on lights, but I'll bet he wished he had. These were just a few.

Now my children laugh at me. I am my father's daughter.

Perhaps this explains why I am such a computer geek - after all, the computer is one big gizmo with countless ways to make life easier, but there are more.

I have the fork that registers internal meat temperatures. I have the Bluetooth earpiece with voice commands for my cell phone. I have the litter locker that encloses cat litter waste in cellophane for odorless storage until the bag gets thrown away. I have a SpotBot, which, by the way, works beautifully.

Gizmos with timers are great. I can set the dishwasher to start in 2 hours if someone is in the shower. I love waking to the smell of brewing coffee from my preset coffee maker. I can set the timer to turn on and off Christmas lights. If I knew how to program it, and if I watched TV, I could set the DVD to record a television show. The sprinkler is set to come on at certain times and on certain areas of the yard.

I don't have one, but I think those projection alarm clocks that display the time on the ceiling in big numbers would be great for someone like me who is, for the most part, blind as a bat. I wish I had one of those bird feeders that swings around an invading squirrel until it is slung off into the bushes. I really wish I had an ice maker that would make crunchy ice in large quantities. Crunchy ice like soda fountains used to serve is hard to find these days.

I do have some favorite gizmo selling websites for your perusal: check out The Vermont Country Store. They offer things many of us boomers will remember from our childhood - like the bun warmer that I remember seeing on my grandmama's stove. I had to have one of those. Remember Lanz pajamas? They got 'em. Remember ribcord beadspreads? Got 'em. Remember Rock'em, Sock'em Robots? Adams Sour Cherry or Sour Apple gum? Tangee lipstick? Ipana toothpaste? I love this store.

Another site with cool stuff is Improvements. Here you'll find solutions to storage dilemmas, holiday decor, outdoor decor, kitchen gizmos, and much more. Its loaded with neat stuff.

Of course, Current is adding more gizmos to its stock of cards, wrapping paper, scrapbooking supplies, and stationery. I particularly like the insurance and car registration holders to fit in your glove compartment.

Sharper Image has expensive gizmos, but they're fun to look at.

If you have a favorite gizmo or favorite gizmo store, let me know. I'm always open to things to make life easier. And, yes, I have a weed popper. But no clapper.