Wayward Whales in West Sac

Two humpback whales have wandered up the delta to the Port of Sacramento in a repeat of the Humphrey the Humpback story of 1984 when Humphrey got lost in the same waters. Vets and scientists are gathering to try to figure out the mystery and help the lost mom and calf get back to the ocean. Unfortunately, both whales are showing signs of injury, probably from a run-in with a boat propeller. Because May is the beginning of feeding season, both whales are running low on reserve blubber and need food pretty fast to be able to survive. Hopefully the scientists will be able to get them back to saltwater quickly.

Now gets to the puzzling part... several hundred people (some reports say 800) have been lining the banks of the levies, bridges and riverbanks to see the whales. If you were a wayward humpback whale, would the screaming of schoolchildren encourage you to head on down the river toward the ocean? I hope the scientists can turn their underwater mics up and play the humpback song louder than the crowds. In the meantime, give the whales and scientists some room!

All dedicated moms go to Thomas

This weekend is Day Out with Thomas and while you won't catch me within a 10 mile radius, all moms who truly love their little boys will be in Woodland this weekend. My son thankfully, really couldn't care less about Thomas. I'll be having a normal, happy Mother's Day celebration, avoiding the screaming crying children who just want one more train set.

If you're a mom who is still looking for something to do this weekend, it's not too late to spoil your little ones and hit the Sacramento River Train. When it's all said and done, have a glass of wine and give yourself a pat on the back for all of your hard work this year.

The end of an era

For as long as I can remember, Crystal Creamery has been a Sacramento staple. I'm not that old, but my family has been in Sacramento practically forever. Crystal was founded here in 1901 and has been owned and operated by the Hansen family since 1921. That's a long, long time for a family business to resist being snatched up- 86 years to be exact. Crystal has been sold to HP Hood LLC.

We'll be sad to see Crystal go. The status of the 500 employees is still unknown. The impact of the sale will be felt for a while in town, in ways many may not know. Many local stores opened or stayed open through low-interest loans from Crystal and other incentives to carry Crystal products. Many local dairies sell their milk directly to Crystal, reducing transportation, shipping and processing costs. On lighter notes, Crystal stood up for Sacramento when those horrid Lakers made "cow town" comments by creating yourcowtown.com and going along with the joke.

HP Hood has many of the same principles, including rBST hormone free milk and longstanding history in their community. But their community is New England, a far cry from Sacramento. In addition, Hood has made a name for themselves by purchasing franchising rights to major brand names like LACTAID, Stoneyfield Farms and Coffee-Mate. Not exactly a home-grown, local dairy.

Thanks Hansen family for your longstanding contributions to the community. We can only hope that Hood will be as good to Sacramento as Crystal.

Ewwwww a stinky flower!

Every couple of years this story about the corpse flower being in bloom makes the news. And every couple of years I wonder, why the heck anyone would want to smell a flower that smells like a dead corpse? I must be missing the wonderful experience. There has to be something I don't understand... It's not even a beautiful blossom, in fact it's quite hideous, phallic and just plain weird.

That being said, UC Davis is home to one of the relatively rare corpse flowers. If you'd like to see it in bloom or get a whiff, head down there quick. The bloom only stays open 2 to 5 days.

Once you've smelled it, please email me and enlighten me!