Oct. 25--So you're back? Welcome home, stranger.

Bet the economy isn't exactly humming along in that Northern locale you just left. And here? We're a little schizophrenic. When you went home to escape the summer heat, economic conditions were in the pits, and they didn't improve much over the summer.

Jobs vanished; businesses closed. Taxable values plummeted by 8 percent, an unprecedented drop that caused government to scramble in cutting their budgets.

Residents started losing their homes at rate that would take your breath away. A check of foreclosures through July 31 found that lenders had filed 3,500 legal claims against delinquent property owners in Lake County since January, including 521 new filings in July, Lake's third-worst month ever. And we're on track for another record-breaking year. Too bad -- it's the sort of record one never wants to even approach, let alone break.

The unemployment rate climbed to 11.8 percent in August in the face of declining joblessness around Central Florida. And even that figure seemed low to those watching the economy. That's likely because many people have simply left town or given up and stopped trying to find work.

Still, there are little hints that a new story is about to emerge. Peeping behind little slices of information, the astute observer can see that something is stirring.

For example, the Lake County school district wasn't expecting to get any new students this year. In fact, it was figuring that fewer students than last year would enroll. Instead, there was a small uptick -- about 70 more students than last year enrolled. That's a sign of slightly better economic prosperity than was hoped for.

And then there is south Lake.

A 324,000-square-foot shopping center at U.S. Highway 27 and Steve's Road, south of State Road 50, has been hopping while you were gone. It features a J.C. Penney, Famous Footwear, Ross Dress for Less, TJ Maxx and just for me, a Michael's craft-supplies store. Please stay out of it. I want the stock to be mine, all mine. I'd sleep in that little slice of heaven if they didn't use those pesky burglar alarms. A BJ's Wholesale Club and a 16-screen theater round out the choices.

Plans have been submitted for a second wholesale store, a Sam's Club.

All the so-called "big box" and chain stores have demographic requirements.

When a community becomes large enough or has a family income level of so much, those stores flock to town.

Apparently, Clermont tripped the demographic trigger for a number of these places because they started springing out of the ground.