Look at Me, I'm Milling Peat!

You've probably seen it on Ghost Hunters, or Unsolved Mysteries, or one of the million other spooky shows like that. Of course they've all visited Myrtles Plantation -- it's super haunted! Or is it?

This week, we're curious about Victorian mourning jewelry, peeping, Maureen Johnson, Brian Laundrie and underground bunkers, independent bookstores, Ghosts, and old notes to ourselves.

Our Curious Cocktail this week is a Myrtle Spritz:

• 1oz Myrtle liqueur or rosemary simple syrup or a rosemary heavy gin
• Serve over ice and top with seltzer water
• Add glitter or absinthe, if you want

Selected sources:

• wikipedia
• National geographic
• Joe Nickell, Skeptical Inquirer
• Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places, by Colin Dickey

Spooky Season continues, with one of the most famous murder trials in history: Lizzie Borden! What really happened to Andrew and Abby Borden, and why does this case still fascinate us, almost 130 years later? We'll also talk about Lizzie's post-trial life, and some theories around why she might have had motive.

This week, we're curious about Green-Wood Cemetery, screaming peacocks, bird watchers, LuLaRich, MLM schemes, Candyman, updates on the case of Ashley Loring Heavyrunner, and baking cakes.

Our Curious Cocktail for the week is the Bloody Lizzie:

• Squeeze and strain the juice from 1 large tomato
• 1 oz dry vermouth
• 2 oz Gay vodka
• Garnish with garden vegetables

Selected sources:

• https://authoredanderson.medium.com/lizzie-bordens-lgbtq-secret-b405b014a50f
• https://newengland.com/today/living/new-england-history/long-silence-lizzie-borden/
• https://www.criminalelement.com/11-facts-about-lizzie-borden-debunked-sarah-miller-murders-trial-of-the-century-forty-whacks/
• https://lizzie-borden.com/
• https://www.historyisgaypodcast.com/
• https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/lizzie-borden-didnt-kill-her-parents-maybe-180963721/

Zasha just moved to New Jersey, and what's one thing New Jersey has that no other state does: An Official State Demon! That's right, this week we're talking about the Jersey Devil. Welcome to Spooky Season.

Our Curious Cocktail this week is the Jersey Devil:

• Ingredients:
  • 1 part Cranberry Juice
  • 2 parts Apple Cider
  • 1 part Lairds Applejack (from NJ!)
  • Garnish with an apple slice
• Mix the liquids together, chill, and serve with an apple slice. This also makes a great punch

This week, we're curious about what we did on our summer vacation, the Holly Roosevelt Hotel, Bo Burnham's Inside, the new podloft, and toddler wisdom.

Selected sources:

• https://skepticalinquirer.org/2013/11/the-jersey-devil-the-real-story
• https://pinelandsalliance.org/learn-about-the-pinelands/pinelands-history-and-culture/the-jersey-devil-and-folklore/
• https://www.nj.gov/nj/about/famous/nj_devil.html
• https://weirdnj.com/stories/jersey-devil/
• https://www.crystalmixer.com/jersey-devil-recipe/

True crime has always been a thing. Back in the 1920s, all of Chicago was obsessed with the celebrity criminals of Murderess Row -- so obsessed that a Chicago Tribune reporter wrote a play about them, which became the 1975 musical Chicago, and the 2002 Best Picture-winning film Chicago.

Our Curious Cocktail this week is the Southside:

• Ingredients:
  • 1.5 oz gin
  • 1 oz lime juice
  • .5 oz simple syrup
  • Kind of a lot of mint
• Muddle the mint with the simple syrup or sugar in the bottom of a shaker
• Add the gin and lime and shake with ice
• Strain into a tall glass with fresh ice
• Top with sparkling water

This week, we're curious about catnip, Hot Cat Summer, Golden Girls Summer, briffits, plewds and grawlixes, washing your face, fairy trails, Kevin Truong's Mai American, and of course, Muppet Girl Summer.

Selected sources:

• The Girls Of Murder City by Douglas Perry
• https://nypost.com/2010/08/08/the-girls-of-murder-city/
• https://www.silkstreetjazz.co.uk/jazz-age-cocktails-every-bootlegger-would-be-proud-of/
• https://chicagology.com/notorious-chicago/beaulahandbelva/

Marina Chapman's first memory is of being kidnapped and left alone in the jungle. She learned how to survive in the jungle (with some help from a pack of local monkeys), and then things started to get worse. Hear the wild, terrifying, and somehow uplifting story of Marina Chapman, the Girl With No Name.

Our Curious Cocktail this week is the Monkey See, Monkey Do: 

• Ingredients:
  • 1.5 oz Banana Bourbon
  • .5oz coffee liqueur (or brewed coffee)
  • .5oz honey liqueur (or honey syrup)
• Shake all ingredients in a shaker with ice
• Serve up, with an orange twist

This week, we're curious about Shrill, TV shows' last episodes, FDR's food, cooking eggs, Guys Grocery Games, Scam Goddess, questionable jewelry, cat birthdays, giant flamingoes, going away parties, and old friends.

Selected sources:

• https://www.theguardian.com/science/2013/apr/13/marina-chapman-monkeys
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marina_Chapman
• https://web.archive.org/web/20131206130013/http://natgeotv.com/uk/woman-raised-by-monkeys

We look at three stories of hummingbird folklore from around the world. 

Our Curious Cocktail this week is Hummingbird Nectar: a punch made from rum, cranberry juice, pineapple juice, a bit of grenadine and hibiscus bitters. It's bright red and not as sweet as you'd expect. But if you're putting nectar out for the hummingbirds in your community, don't dye it red, just put it in a brightly colored feeder.

This week, we're curious about Camp Hell: Anneewakee, Paris Hilton, ready-to-eat cookie dough, fostering puppies, and friends.

Selected sources:

• https://puertoricanmythology.wordpress.com/the-legend-of-the-hummingbird/
• The Legend of the Hummingbird: A Tale from Puerto Rico Retold by Michael Rose Ramirez
• https://multoghost.wordpress.com/2016/11/06/how-hummingbird-saved-the-children-a-hopi-folktale/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mM11v_16-o
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wangari_Maathai

What happens when an indigenous woman goes missing? Because of the systems built by our government, almost nothing! Tune in this week for the heartbreaking and infuriating story of Ashley Loring Heavy Runner, her family advocates, and the system that failed her.

This week, we're curious about male bees, the crisis of femicide in Puerto Rico, spring weather, to-go cocktails, sunscreen, and accidentally ordering crowns.

Selected sources:

• ABC
• Update
• I am Interchange
• Gofundme
• Facebook group run by her family

We're taking April off to regroup, get vaccinated, and put together more exciting stories for you. See you in May!

We look at the story of La Llorona, the Weeping Woman of Mexico -- from her Aztec roots to her role in modern society. 

Our Curious Cocktail this week is from MuyBuenoCookbook.com: La Llorona -- Shake 3 ounces Pisco Brandy, 1 ounce fresh lime juice, 1 ounce fresh lemon juice, 1½ tablespoons granulated sugar, ice, and a dash of Angostura bitters in a shaker. Pour into a cocktail glass, and add dry ice for a spooky effect (but don't touch it!)

This week, we're curious about cat beds, The Duchess on Netflix, I hate Susie, Golden Girls, seeing friends, and sitting outside.

Selected sources:

• https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/04/la-llorona-real-mexican-legend-curse-of-la-llorona-movie
• https://www.historytoday.com/miscellanies/wailing-woman
• https://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Woman-recalls-drowning-kids-in-1986-2055547.php
• https://stmuhistorymedia.org/la-malinche-traitor-or-survivor/
• https://www.pbs.org/video/the-legend-of-la-llorona-gvx6ly/

This week, we travel to Ireland to meet the Cashel Man, a bog body and the oldest fleshed mummy found in Europe. We also talk a little about the human sacrifice of ancient kings of Ireland, so that's cool, too.

Our Curious Cocktail this week is a Bog Water: Shake 2 oz Irish Poitín, 1/2 oz Irish whiskey, 1/4 oz crème de menthe and some mint simple syrup over ice. Smoke it if you can. Serve over fresh ice.

This week, we're curious about COVID vaccines, COVID vaccine conspiracy theories, learning to drive, prescription sunglasses, body farms, and Bog Girl by Karen Russell.