The experts in the world of high finance and economics say the worst of the recession is over. They say there are strong signs of improvement and economically speaking we are on the mend.

I certainly hope the so-called experts are correct, but here in Maine we see little evidence of the economic healing process.

Maine is usually a bit slower than the rest of the nation in most things. Don’t get me wrong, I love Maine, but we are not exactly on the cutting edge of things.

Take bell-bottom pants for example. When I was a teenager in the days of Sonny and Cher I noticed these strange flare-leg pants showing up on rock stars and movie stars. They were the rage in the teen magazines that I read, but they were nowhere to be seen here in Vacationland.

The first time I saw someone wearing bell-bottoms in person was at Old Orchard Beach and the wearers were obviously from “away.” I thought those pants were so cool and couldn’t wait to have a pair of my own.

I saved my babysitting earnings and then went to J.J. Newberry’s to buy my bell-bottoms, but they didn’t have them. I talked my father into giving me a ride all the way to Lewiston to go to Sears, but they didn’t have the bell-bottoms either.

I don’t recall exactly when bell-bottoms became available locally, but they eventually did. It seemed like forever that I had wanted them before I was actually able to get any.

By the time I put on my first pair and strutted my stuff around town making a fashion statement, hip-huggers were becoming all the rage with rock stars and movie stars and in the teen magazines.

I think it was another year before hip-huggers were available here in Maine, but that was OK because my parents wouldn’t let me wear them anyway.

My point in taking this walk down memory lane of high fashion is that Maine has always been a bit behind the rest of the country.

For a teenager wanting the latest fashion craze that’s a bit of a downer, but our “slow to catch up” existence has worked to our advantage too. In the mid-80s when the rest of the country saw the collapse of the construction industry and real estate market, Maine was enjoying an economic boom we thought would never end.

So, the experts say that the economy is getting better and I truly hope they are right.

I’m guessing it will take a little time before it reaches this part of the country and the way I see it when the latest fashion trends of the West Coast are available here in Maine we will truly be on our way to economic recovery.