monsters cry too

Somewhere, Godzilla and the Invisible Man are crying in their beer. Late night monster movie host, Bob Wilkins, passed away on Wednesday from Alzheimer's complications. He is mostly remembered as the host of Creature Features, a television show which broadcast classic horror movies ... a huge favorite of mine growing up. He satiated my thirst every Friday night with a double feature of black and white spooky movies that to this day, I remember with a big smile. My Netflix queue would make him happy.

Rest well, Bob.

wild witches take note!

Recently a family from California went on a hike through the hills of Mount Tamalpais State Park. That's all well and good but, they decided to pick some mushrooms ...

Ok so, you know the next part of this story already, I bet. The mushrooms they picked happened to be "death cap" mushrooms. The shrooms were taken home and cooked up in a soup. Two children, 11, and their 72 year old grandma were treated for their symptoms at a local hospital. Only after 2 days of testing did they finally figure out the family had been poisoned.

See the article here in the Contra Costa Times for more info. And never, ever, ever, EVER assume you know all there is to know about berries, mushrooms and other plants in the wilderness. About two decades ago, I remember a few local bay area pagans did the same thing, only they picked berries... the 3 of them were not so lucky and died within a day of eating the toxic fruit.

Be safe and know your surroundings, especially if you are venturing in the wild to do your ritual or nature walk. Always take water and snacks with you and don't set out to rely on Mother Nature to sustain you if you get hungry. If you do pick anything, use gloves, and don't consume them or breathe in the smoke if burned.

Now, go out and dance naked around a fire or something ...