THANKSGIVING 2012 … wow, so much to be thankful for this year in the City of All Things Right and Relevant … despite the many irritating only-in-Davis issues we have to deal with, is there really a better place on God’s Green Earth to live than our not-so-humble little town? …

Yes, a year ago we were all horrified that a handful of UC Davis students got pepper-sprayed, but as we look around the world this Thanksgiving, especially to the Middle East, be thankful that pepper-spray was the only weapon used … that’s not how they settle disputes in many other lands … and yes, a couple of years ago the city gave away the store to Zipcar, but let’s all be thankful that that was considered a “major” issue in this town … one that quickly faded from memory without leaving any battle scars or major damage …

A few weeks ago we agreed to tax ourselves once again to maintain one of the best school districts in the nation … be thankful we aren’t among the majority of school districts in this country — or even in this county — where passing such a tax wouldn’t be even a remote possibility … we’re now fighting about water, another “major” issue to be sure, but how many billions of people in the world would trade their water problems for ours? … I’d say most … the list goes on and on …

And while they all remain steady targets of the Above-Pictured Columnist, let’s be thankful for all the City Councilpersons, school board members, planning commissioners and hundreds of others who have served faithfully over the years on a variety of endeavors … yes, let’s even be thankful for the members of the Natural Resources Commission, if for no other reason than they regularly give me something to write about …

Davis, More Nuts than Winters … but, as any nutritionist will say, nuts are actually pretty good for you …

EVEN MORE THANKS TO GIVE … so, I had just unloaded my groceries onto the conveyor belt at one of our popular local grocers when a kind man behind me struck up a conversation based on the bright orange “Oregon State Beavers” T-shirt I was wearing … turns out he has relatives in the Beaver state … but, before I could pay for my selections, he said “I want to buy your groceries for you.” … I guess that’s just the way Oregonians are … he then turned to the young college kid behind him, who also had a handful of groceries, and said “I want to buy your groceries, too.” … I, of course, protested, but taking “no” for an answer was not in this man’s DNA … trust me on this …

So insistent was he on paying, and so unconcerned was he with the quantity of my groceries, that I almost asked if he wouldn’t mind waiting for a minute while I picked out a particularly fat rib roast … he probably would have said yes … “I do this every Friday,” he said … “It always comes back to me.” … maybe so, but it was a first for me as the tab reached $52.43 for my groceries alone …

I walked out the front door with a smile on my face and a curiosity about just who this man was and how long he had been doing this … I also noted the time of day so I could be sure to stand in line in front of him again next Friday … no sooner was I out the door and headed for my car than I encountered an elderly gentleman holding a cardboard sign that said: “Homeless, hungry, anything will help, God Bless You.” … the $52.43 I had planned to spend on my groceries was still burning a hole in my pocket … the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away …

— Reach Bob Dunning at [email protected]

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