Markers for upticks in the Economy? Chocolate Eggs and New Cars.

Daily walks to grocery stores in my town afford me some interesting vantage points.

I suspect that consumer confidence is going up a bit.  Why do I think that?

1. Longs Easter candy aisle was empty on Easter morning.

The entire aisle of Easter candy was SOLD OUT on the morning of Easter!  I was there at 10:00 AM, hoping to buy a few items.  This has not been the norm at this particular Longs store over the years. More common are the drastic markdowns the day after Easter. 

2. More new cars on the road.  

One of the advantages of walking vs driving is my vantage point. For months this past year, I never saw any new cars. It got to be a kind of game with me. I'd tell myself, hey, if I see one today, I'll take that as a sign that something is improving. On average, this past month - I see one during every walk. Today I saw three.

Certainly my analysis is unscientific but it doesn't discourage me from drawing a conclusion that things might be improving for the economy.

The downside?  I had hoped to scoop up some Cadbury and Snickers eggs at half price.

Uncomplicated love

I saw this woman out walking her birds this afternoon. You can see six of her parrots. Tucked into the netted area of her stroller were three more. They looked at me curiously. 

"Oh, those ones have hatched eggs, so they're sort of aggressive right now. I have to keep them separated from the others."

What needs to be explained here? It's gorgeous outside. Her birds were singing loudly. Everyone in her group was keenly aware of how great life was at this moment.  

Big Brother is watching your dog.

The proliferation of dog ownership now appears to have prompted a new business- identifying dog owners who do not pick up after their dogs... by way of DNA analysis of the droppings.

BioPet Vet Lab Announces PooPrints™

DNA mess matching service to improve our neighborhoods