In this latest installment of Salon’s series “Pinched: Tales from an economic downturn,” writer Rosecrans Baldwin reflects on life from inside the confines of his in-laws’ home. He’s not alone; the current economic climate has forced many adults to move back in with their parents. Initially, Baldwin and his wife had intended to stay for only a few weeks on the heels of an 18-month stint working abroad. But months later and with no end-point in sight, he considers the bad (“My father-in-law has ear hair like a wolverine”) and the good (“Loving relatives and home-cooked meals are solid levees against a recession”).