A personal barometer

I don't know about other folks, but I have certain personal barometers that measure the state of the world. Some of these are fairly tangible and involve external goods (such as wine and books). Others are more part of the background or landscape.

One of my markers for the state of the world is the state of the creek that runs beside Goat Rope Farm. If the creek is flowing and has minnows and crawdads in it, things are good. If it dries up (or floods, a much rarer occurrence), things are bad.

It's been a pretty good creek year so far. Aside from a dry spell around July 4th, it stayed flowing and full of critters until late summer/early fall, when it went dry as a bone. I even resorted to minnow rescue operations, scooping the ones I could in a net and putting them in the pond.

I do not like a dry creek. It makes the whole world seem arid.

I am pleased to report that the recent rains have given us back the creek. The fish, however, may take a while.

HEADING FOR NOVEMBER. Here are some thoughts on the midterm elections from The Nation.

DEFICITS AND RECESSIONS. This report from the Center for Economic and Policy Research argues that in times of recession and high unemployment, deficit paranoia is counterproductive to a real recovery.

COYOTE UPDATE here.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED