I read last week that the folks that determine such things decided that the recession ended in June 2009. I don't put too much faith in proclamations of that type. I really did not need them to tell me the country had entered a recession, therefore, I did not need them to tell me when they thought it was over.
I realize that there is a specific technical definition for a recession but where I come from we use a different methodology. When people start giving up their new pickup trucks that they are making payments on and start back driving the old clunker that has been parked in the backyard, we say times are getting tough. Some of you that are long suffering may recall that I warned of just such a happening several years ago. I noticed as I was out driving the highways and back roads that there were a lot more vehicles on the side of the road with for sale signs on them than there had been previously. This was an indicator of increased economic difficulty. Over the past few years, I have been noticing more and more little business closing. I would ride by a place that was selling used cars one week and the next week the lot was empty and the trailer or building shuttered.
Now, as I said, the powers that be say the recovery has started. In fact according to them it started over 15 months ago. But what about the street, what does it say? Well last week Linda had a bad cough and felt like some hot and sour soup would make her feel better. So, I headed down to the Pelham / Alabaster border to the little Chinese place in the Food Depot shopping center. When I got there, it was closed, the electric open sign was not just off, it was gone. The windows were covered with white paper. I looked through a crack and the tables were gone and the chairs were stacked in a corner. I don't care what the leading economic indicators say, when my favorite Chinese restaurant has to close, the economy is still in trouble.
But don't despair, the economy will recover at some point. New businesses will open and the folks driving the clunkers will get to trade for a new truck. As for the hot and sour soup emergency, when I called Linda to report the closing of the Chinese place, she reminded me that there was a Chinese place over in Helena so I went over there and got the soup.
