Earplugs

The earplug -- of the recently-developed kind, made from soft foam that fit snugly and comfortably -- is an invention that even someone with marked antiquarian tastes can embrace fervently. I've been using them for a year or so now, but lately more than ever, and they have become an indispensable tool for my modern life. Very necessary for naps in a comfy chair. Irritating music, whether its provenance is from within or without the house? Earplugs make it go away! Garbage collection? Gardeners? Earplugs! They ensure the availability of the "golden silence" which St. John Chrysostom and other curmudgeons before and since have considered vital to a sane and happy life.