diff --git a/may_2025_thoughts.md b/may_2025_thoughts.md
index 1864101..8ed5d12 100644
--- a/may_2025_thoughts.md
+++ b/may_2025_thoughts.md
@@ -499,3 +499,10 @@ Here's a list of things that need doing:
 * Other forms in the language need help:
     * [ ] repeat needs its stack discipline updated, it currently crashes the compiler
 
+### More closure problems
+#### 2025-06-23
+My solution to closures wasn't quite right.
+I can't use Uncle Bob's strategy of the recursive call, since Rust's ownership semantics make this onerous at best.
+My solution: introduce the concept of a "compiler depth," with 0 being the global scope.
+If the compiler's at 0 depth, we can pull it out of the environment.
+If the compiler's at a depth > 0, then we can ask the enclosing 
diff --git a/sandbox.ld b/sandbox.ld
index 2590afc..50a1a2d 100644
--- a/sandbox.ld
+++ b/sandbox.ld
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
-let add = :foo
-let nil? = :bar
+let nil? = :foo
+let mult = :bar
 
-fn baz () -> (add, nil?)
+fn foo () -> {
+	let fold = :baz
+	fn quux () -> (nil?, mult, fold)
+}
 
-baz()
+foo () ()
diff --git a/src/compiler.rs b/src/compiler.rs
index 424b094..9ec26c5 100644
--- a/src/compiler.rs
+++ b/src/compiler.rs
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ fn get_builtin(name: &str, arity: usize) -> Option<Op> {
 }
 
 #[derive(Debug, Clone)]
-pub struct Compiler<'a> {
+pub struct Compiler {
     pub chunk: Chunk,
     pub bindings: Vec<Binding>,
     pub scope_depth: isize,
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ pub struct Compiler<'a> {
     pub span: SimpleSpan,
     pub src: &'static str,
     pub name: &'static str,
-    pub enclosing: Option<&'a Compiler<'a>>,
+    pub depth: usize,
     pub upvalues: Vec<&'static str>,
     loop_info: Vec<LoopInfo>,
     tail_pos: bool,
@@ -96,15 +96,15 @@ fn has_placeholder(args: &[Spanned<Ast>]) -> bool {
     args.iter().any(|arg| matches!(arg, (Ast::Placeholder, _)))
 }
 
-impl<'a> Compiler<'a> {
+impl Compiler {
     pub fn new(
         ast: &'static Spanned<Ast>,
         name: &'static str,
         src: &'static str,
-        enclosing: Option<&'a Compiler>,
+        depth: usize,
         env: imbl::HashMap<&'static str, Value>,
         debug: bool,
-    ) -> Compiler<'a> {
+    ) -> Compiler {
         let chunk = Chunk {
             constants: vec![],
             bytecode: vec![],
@@ -116,6 +116,7 @@ impl<'a> Compiler<'a> {
         Compiler {
             chunk,
             bindings: vec![],
+            depth,
             scope_depth: -1,
             match_depth: 0,
             stack_depth: 0,
@@ -124,7 +125,6 @@ impl<'a> Compiler<'a> {
             ast: &ast.0,
             span: ast.1,
             loop_info: vec![],
-            enclosing,
             upvalues: vec![],
             src,
             name,
@@ -297,17 +297,17 @@ impl<'a> Compiler<'a> {
             self.stack_depth += 1;
             return;
         }
-        if self.chunk.env.contains_key(name) {
+        if self.depth == 0 {
             self.msg("as global".to_string());
             self.emit_constant(Value::Keyword(name));
             self.emit_op(Op::PushGlobal);
-            return;
+        } else {
+            self.msg(format!("as enclosing upvalue {}", self.upvalues.len()));
+            self.emit_op(Op::GetUpvalue);
+            self.emit_byte(self.upvalues.len());
+            self.upvalues.push(name);
+            self.stack_depth += 1;
         }
-        self.msg(format!("as enclosing upvalue {}", self.upvalues.len()));
-        self.emit_op(Op::GetUpvalue);
-        self.emit_byte(self.upvalues.len());
-        self.upvalues.push(name);
-        self.stack_depth += 1;
     }
 
     fn duplicate(&mut self) {
@@ -1096,7 +1096,7 @@ impl<'a> Compiler<'a> {
                                 clause,
                                 name,
                                 self.src,
-                                Some(self),
+                                self.depth + 1,
                                 self.chunk.env.clone(),
                                 self.debug,
                             );
diff --git a/src/main.rs b/src/main.rs
index a34dcd1..3b26244 100644
--- a/src/main.rs
+++ b/src/main.rs
@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ pub fn prelude() -> HashMap<&'static str, Value> {
         parsed,
         "prelude",
         PRELUDE,
-        None,
+        0,
         HashMap::new(),
         DEBUG_PRELUDE_COMPILE,
     );
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ pub fn run(src: &'static str) {
         return;
     }
 
-    let mut compiler = Compiler::new(parsed, "sandbox", src, None, prelude, DEBUG_SCRIPT_COMPILE);
+    let mut compiler = Compiler::new(parsed, "sandbox", src, 0, prelude, DEBUG_SCRIPT_COMPILE);
     // let base = base::make_base();
     // compiler.emit_constant(base);
     // compiler.bind("base");