I find nothing more irksome than plastic packaging. I’m not talking about hamburger bun plastic bags; I’m talking about the hard molded plastic that surrounds some computer inks, scissors, and even some children’s toys.

This week I encountered D-size batteries wrapped in that heinous stuff. After struggling with scissors and various knives I used wire cutters to set my batteries free. That project took almost a half hour, raised my blood pressure, and exhausted all my swear words. However, that’s not my only gripe. Some Gatorade bottle lids can only be opened by shoving them in a vise and tightening the lid until it cracks. Of course, that necessitates the additional task of mopping up the sticky drink spurt on the garage floor. Another difficult lid is those which are childproof. Believe me, I eons beyond childhood and find some of them impossible to uncap. Once, my dog need an antibiotic. After my raging valiant effort failed to budge the cap, I took a hammer to plastic container and smashed it. Yes, the pills scattered everywhere, but I somehow scooped up all but one. I figured one stray pill would do no harm.

Given the increasing size of the senior population, I would think manufacturers would be more responsive in developing easy-to-open packages. I suspect their employees are former gamers who delight in creating difficult solutions to simple problems. They probably win awards for their puzzling designs, and their companies reap additional profits for consumer-charged packaging.

Obviously, nothing will change, but I released my angst regarding this issue. Oblah Di, Oblah Da.