GIVING. THANKS.

 Thanks. 

Giving. 

Sure. 

Why. 

Not. 

I’m thankful Caltrans hasn’t buckled to common sense and safety and partnered with the City of Bishop to create an eastside Truck Route around Bishop from Highways 395 to 6. The steady stream of semis rolling through Main Street instead of taking a loop around town means I will continue to love walking downtown and feeling the hard steel ambiance of a screaming semi roaring four feet away from me and blasting me with waves of diesel fumes, dust and wind. So welcoming, so charming, so inviting. A real delight. 

I’m thankful that some drivers don’t stop, or even slow down for me when I’m venturing into the crosswalks in downtown Bishop. I am old and lazy and running across the street to avoid being hit by a speeding Tesla or BMW is about the only exercise I get. Terror also gets the heart rate up. Thanks. 

I’m thankful that Bishop, the Bishop Paiute Tribe and Inyo County agreed to extend the ambulance contract with Sierra Lifeflight through the end of June 2025. It’s reassuring to know that if I misjudge the speed of an oncoming RV and get rammed on Main Street I won’t have to rely on the kindness of a stranger to load me into the bed of his/her pickup truck and haul me to the hospital. (Does Uber have an ambulance division? Asking for a friend.) 

I’m thankful the new management team at Northern Inyo Hospital put more energy, focus and resources into billing and collections, which has stabilized the hospital’s finances and put the focus back on healthcare and putting me back together after getting smacked by an RV. 

I’m thankful grocery prices are so high that it only take one trip to Vons to “pick up a few things” in order to score “bonus points” that get me 10 cents off a gallon of gas. 

I’m thankful the Mule Days board of directors has been honest and upfront about the event’s poor financial position and the need for either a big infusion of cash or some dramatic changes to the six-day mule extravaganza. There is no shame in shrinking this event to match the realities of a smaller audience and fewer sponsors, exhibitors and, well, mules. A smaller Mule Days is far better than no Mule Days. 

I’m thankful I have never had any sort of interaction with the office of Governor Gavin Newsom that would have resulted in me providing my email to the governor’s staff. Rumor hazzit that anyone and everyone in Inyo and Mono counties with even the slightest connection to Newsom’s office is getting spammed with multiple requests to become the newest members of the Tri-County Fair board. 

I’m thankful that the first stab at honoring Dave McCoy by naming Bishop airport after Dave didn’t fly. Now, a far more appropriate honor is the official renaming of a stretch of 395 from Convict Lake turnoff to the Mammoth Lakes offramp the Dave McCoy Memorial Highway. Now the swarms of people heading to Mammoth will be reminded that Dave singlehandedly created Mammoth Mountain which in turn provided the impetus for Mammoth Lakes to become more than a seasonal fish camp. 

Jon Klusmire of Bishop is thankful that he has never felt the urge to wear bunny slippers and matching pajamas to the grocery store, primarily because he does not own bunny slippers and matching pajamas.