Indeed, the last time we saw anything even approaching a 49-month double digit rate string was the 36-month string that gave us the housing boom turn bust turn Great Recession.

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The double bass is an unwieldy string instrument that stands more than six feet tall, and it can be physically demanding to play.

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While this is still a startling string, we must underscore the point that for the first time in 51 months we did have to stretch our definition of double digit to keep the string going.

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Nowhere in the manual does it explain the weight (thickness) of nylon string to use when reloading the trimmer, nor does it explain how to install the string into the double-threaded spool so that it feeds correctly.

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As we have noted in past Monetary Watch commentaries, the run-up to the now infamous housing bubble turn credit implosion turn Great Recession saw a string of 36 months of double digit growth.

FORBES: Headline Monetary Aggregates for October

To put those numbers into perspective, the run-up to the now infamous housing bubble turn credit implosion turn Great Recession saw a string of 36 months of double digit growth for a cumulative increase of 48%.

FORBES: Headline Monetary Aggregates, Where We Are

As readers of the Monetary Watch are aware, the run-up to the housing bubble turn credit implosion turn Great Recession saw a string of 36 months of double digit growth for a cumulative increase of 48%.

FORBES: Monetary Watch June 2011, Inflation prospects post QE II