Hi, I'm Holly and I'm Haley. Welcome to Mountain Mysteries Tales from Appalachia. We're back living the dream. Are we?
Where? Yeah, we are. It's dream come true. We get to be right here beside me.
Yeah, like within distance. We're close. We get touch. Dingers.
I love something here boobyek. Who's so adorable? My son does that not a baby. So he goes, oh cute little baby.
Goo-choo-choo-choo. It's really, I think he just wants a sibling. It's very cute. He's not gonna get one.
One and done. Probably. Yeah, probably. It's hard.
It is. Kids are hard and I'm tired. I'm old. So, you know, did you have a birthday?
Yes, it rained the entire day. So I had all these plans in my head like maybe I'll get my nothing set in stone. But like maybe I'll go get a manicure. Maybe I'll get a facial.
No, I went to Starbucks and got my free drink. I went to Denny's and got my free breakfast. Nice. And I enjoyed them in the comfort of my bed while I watch Netflix and took naps.
It was wonderful and that is not the type of person I am. I'm always obsessively cleaning and like doing things and feeling like I need to paint the laundry room. You know, but I actually stopped and just enjoyed it. It was very lovely.
Nice. Yeah, we went out to turn that night and it's very nice. Yes. Yeah.
Well, I'm on a new mental health journey right now. So we're, you know, trying some things out. So just felt like a part of my life I haven't really shared a lot about. Mental health is important.
It's important. I feel like you guys only, we talk about it a lot. On here. And you know, we always seem like we're all doing great and fine.
Everything's great in our lives. But you know, life's hard sometimes. Like it's very hard. And it ebbs and flows.
Like sometimes we're going through a really great period. And then other times we're not. Yeah. And I've had some struggles recently.
So I'm working with my doctor. We're figuring some stuff out. So just a little plug to talk to your doctors and take care of your mental health. I mean, I think a lot of folks can relate to that.
It's a tricky time and just trying some things and figuring out what works, which is always just kind of the pain. It is trial and error, particularly medications that work well with your system. It's not always easy. You can do extremely expensive testing to find out what medicines would work with you.
But sometimes it is just the old school trial and error. Yeah, we're trial and error. And I do want to throw up to you and those listening who are taking, newly taking medication, you have to give it at least three weeks to see a difference. A lot of people take it and the next day they're like, well, I don't feel any difference.
I'm not going to use anymore. You've got to wait and let your body get adjusted to it to really see if it's making any improvements and at that point they can tweak it. So if we need to give you less, if we need to give you more, you know, back in half. Yeah, and I mean, my doctor's going, we're going kind of crazy slow.
We're doing, you know, I'm checking in with him soon. We're doing like a three week kind of titrate to a certain level and then we're going to meet and chat and then we're going to probably go up to where like my dosage should be. And then that's kind of where we're going to see if it works. Pay attention to your body.
You know, are you nauseous from it? Do you get headaches? I was on, gosh, what was it? Prozac gave me the worst headache.
So I had a little part of depression. And so I took Prozac. My friend had taken it and she was like, it just did it for her. It was great.
And she was like, you need to get on the Prozac. And so I was like, great. So I talked to my primary care and I got on the Prozac and it just gave me horrific migraines. So I just couldn't take it.
So yeah, I'm trying out the Zoloft right now. So we're doing kind of a trial round that out. I did have some nausea, not going to lie. I started right when I started.
That is subsided. That's good. So I think I just needed it. Am I not sure he told me that too?
He's like, you know, give your that's why we're doing the slow increase to make sure my body's just. Is it the generic sertileen? Yeah, that tends to cause some nausea. Yeah, which has been that's been a challenge for me as I don't typically eat in the mornings.
I should because it's breakfast. You should eat breakfast. That's important. You'll be healthy for you to do that.
But I tend to do this thing where I'm just so crazy in the mornings and busy and going, going, going, going, going, but I just either forget or don't have time. But over the summer, now that I'm not working right now, I have a little bit of more of a schedule that's not as wild. Good. So we're trying it out.
So yeah, just do what you need to do for your people care of yourself. And it's no like, I mean, it's no big deal. There's no shame in recognizing when you don't feel well, whether mentally or physically. I mean, if you say, gosh, I don't feel well, you go to the doctor.
It's sort of a natural thing to do. The same thing works with your mental health. If you're feeling off, if you're feeling like something's wrong, maybe you should check in. And maybe there's something so simple that you could do either oral medication or even therapy regularly having someone to talk to and process is could be life-changing.
Yeah. And I was really, I will tell you, because it's not just like, oh, I went in and I was like, this is great. I was super nervous because I was like, oh my gosh, it was a new doctor. I hadn't seen before.
I think I'm crazy. I was like, they're gonna think I'm a crazy person. They're not gonna believe me. That was my initial like, oh my gosh, they're gonna tell me to, I don't know.
But I had tried some, you know, hydroxyzine for panic attacks and that had helped. But I just was like, I need something more consistent. And I told him that he's like, well, do you have any thoughts of like what you'd like to try or anything? I was like, no, I don't.
He's like, okay, well, let's try this. And I was like, let's do it. So it's, you know, you have to really choice, really safe choice. I find a good doctor.
Somebody listens to your concerns. And unfortunately, there's some out there that don't. Yeah. Don't believe you, but just keep, you know, keep trying.
Keep trucking because you're worth it. You are. You are worth it. To you feel well.
Exactly. And you should. You should feel well. There's our mental health plug.
Yes. Your mental health moments. Doo doo doo doo doo doo doo. Hey, Lee, are you ready to step away from mental health and get into some science?
I am. And I knew this was a science related episode. That's why I was like, this feels like an excellent time to talk about the science of mental health. Yeah.
True. True. True. That's a perfect segue.
Perfect segue But here's a question. Okay. How do you feel about rain? I love the rain.
It's lovely. It's actually, I prefer the rain. It's peaceful. The only thing I don't like about it is when it rains constantly.
Yeah. Then you have to deal with all the mud and the, I don't really like summer rain as much because it gets so humid afterwards. I love the while the rain is happening. The after effects not so much.
And it's been kind of chilly lately, which I'm kind of into. I know it feels more like spring or maybe early fall. Yeah. It's been delightful.
I've been wearing sweatshirts. Same. I like it. Yeah.
So okay. We know you like rain. What are your thoughts on blood? You know, it is a thing that we have.
It is like if you saw blood, would you pass out? No. Okay. So you're not one of those people.
Do you actually watch when they stick you? I do. Me too. Yeah.
Because I'm fascinated by brother passes out when he sees good Lord. Oh, no. He can see other people's blood. He just can't see.
Wasn't this the guy who wanted to like work for the fire department or something? Yeah. He can see other people's blood like hacked off lambs. He'd be fine.
But he gets a paper cut and it's like, whoa. Good Lord. That's hilarious. He's not as bad as he was when he was younger now, but he still gets woozy.
My son will say he like stubbed his toe and he's like, I'm bleeding. He stumped his toe. He was not bleeding. But he's very dramatic.
And he says, I need a bandaid. Actually recently he said, we're going to have to call the ambulance. And I said, because he stumped your toe. I would laugh at you.
He's kind of like my mother. My mother's like that too. She's like, Oh, I got a paper cut. I better go.
Call 911. Now my parents are like, is it attached still? Yeah. Then you're fine.
Exactly. Walk it off. Very strip that sucker and move on. Well, Haley, we're going to mesh these two wonderful things.
Rain and blood. Yeah. How do we do that? You ask?
I do ask. Well, we're going way back. You're ready? I'm ready.
We're going to North Carolina this time. Nice. And we're going back to March of 1850. We've been in the the 1800s here.
Yeah. I love it. I don't know why. And both of us just kind of found 1800 stories.
I'm so weird. All right. So it's March 1850. A strange package arrives at the North Carolinian.
This is a local paper in Samsung County, North Carolina. And it contains a letter along with an item, an item that appeared to be either the rotten or rotting organ of an animal. Isn't that gross? Like it mails out.
Yes. So the editors wrote in the paper that basically this animal flesh was left with us along with this letter. And it has been examined by two of the best microscopes in the place. And it smelled, and most definitely contained blood.
Their article continued that both in its dry state and when macerated in water, is that correct? That's right. That's right. We're going with it.
Of putrid flesh. And there can be scarcely a doubt that it is such putrid flesh. So the question comes. Why would someone send that?
Why? I mean, are they angry? That would be my first thought. Like your pissed at someone.
So like, here's a duck liver. I don't know. It's a serial killer. It's like, yeah, so it'd be like someone's finger.
Am I a jam? Like, I don't know. That's weird. It's a super weird.
So Thomas Clarkson was a man who lived on a farm a little southwest of the city. So he wrote in an accompanying letter that ended up being printed that their fell, and this is a quote from him, their fell within 100 yards of the residence of Thomas M. Clarkson in Sansen County, a shower of flesh and blood about 50 feet wide, and as far as it was traced, about 250 or 300 yards in length. Oh my god.
So basically it's raining flesh and blood. Yeah. So raining like animal body parts and blood. Why?
Yeah. So it appeared to be flesh of an animal, their liver, brains and blood. All from one animal? Could be many.
Like many. Yeah. Some of the blood, and this is quoted from the article, some of the blood ran on the leaves, and apparently was very fresh. Three of Thomas's children were in it and ran to their mother, explaining, mother, meat is falling.
Ew. Yeah. A neighbor's child was also nearby and came running and said that they smelled blood. Ew.
Yeah. As they looked up into the sky, they noticed that the cloud was actually just full of red. So essentially it's like, how on earth is it raining animal body parts and red blood? How does this happen?
How does that happen? That's a great question. And part of what was sent to the paper, they said, was like the size of a pigeon egg. It was kind of orange in color.
And so when the paper first got this, number one, they were like, what the hell is this? And number two, when they looked under the microscope at it, they knew like, okay, this is animal, but why? That seems to be the running question. This was not the first time this had happened.
Oh. Yes. Apparently a man, Major Robert Allen, who was in San Francisco, not long after this, would find it started raining on him. Okay.
So it's not isolated to North Carolina. This is happening other places. So now it's happening in San Francisco. Weird.
Yeah. So the family, the Clarkson family that it first happened to, they witnessed this and they reported immediately and kept saying like, it's raining flesh and blood. And people were like, okay, so part of the reason why they sent in this letter, and it was the Clarkson's who sent in this letter, along with the flesh, the flesh was to prove this really happened as opposed to, you know, but I would think it was some kind of prank or I'd be like, what? Yeah.
This also occurred in 1876 on a farm in Gastonia, North Carolina, which is near Charlotte. And showers of blood just occurred. Just you look up and it's just raining blood. Then in Shatham County, North Carolina in 1884, another event happened.
This time it was investigated by a chemist who went on to become the University of North Carolina president. Oh, F.P. Venable was his name. And he started studying this.
And he figured out that there were more than two dozen cases reported in the 19th century in America alone, reports of blood and meat running down and excuse me, raining down. There's one whole event of a soldier and a slave who, you know, started raining blood, obscure artifacts. Yeah, it's just the weirdest, craziest thing on earth. What would you say if you started raining blood?
I could just start yelling. The song It's Raining Men is coming to me. It's raining blood. Hallelujah.
When you think it was the end of the world, like, it's the apocalypse. Yeah, I would think that. I mean, and I think a lot of these individuals did as well. Like, okay, well, it must be the end because it's raining human.
Yeah, it's raining blood. We got time to go. Exactly. Wrap it up.
Get out of here. Everybody. So in 1884, a lady named Mrs. Kit Les Les said it to her who was quote unquote noted for her truthfulness, said that she was walking home near the New Hope Township in Chatham County, North Carolina when she heard rain starting to fall.
And she was like, Oh gosh, I forgot my parasol. We caught it in the rain. Oh, dear. I might get my hair wet.
What will I do? So she looked up and then she thought, Wait, am I, am I seen what I think I'm seeing? Yes, it was blood rain. Yeah.
So it drenched the ground in the surrounding trees all around her. And after hearing some of the past stories, because she thought she was going crazy, basically, she was like, I'm not seeing this. Like, no, no, she starts telling it to some of her neighbors who were like, haven't she heard? And she's like, no, heard what?
And they're like, Oh my gosh, this has happened before. And so they're telling her about these events of blood rain. And she's going, Okay, well, number one, I'm not crazy. So that's good.
But also, what is this? So samples of it were actually collected by Dr. Venable for evaluation. And he spent tons of time in the Mitchell scientific society, and working with them and giving like every test they had available back then, which, you know, probably some what, but he said that the samples were most definitely blood, but could really offer no explanation beyond that just like, yes, these are, this is blood.
It's real, but I don't really understand how this happens. So my question is like, okay, is it, I mean, are we just like, animals are like coming up to this guy and then being like broken apart and can all this think like a tornado or weird sort of evaporation situation, maybe from like a slaughterhouse or birds are picking up and then dropping, but they have to be a lot of birds picking up a lot of things at one time, which doesn't really feel like a thing birds do. I don't know. Yeah, in raining.
I mean, that's pretty significant. Hmm. Well, this is a phenomenon, obviously. And cases have been recorded since the writing of the Iliad.
Okay. Yes, which was around the eighth century BC. Yeah. Yeah.
And by the 17th century, it was genuinely believed that rain was actually blood, and it was believed that it was an omen foreshadowing that bad things were to come. Feels like it ought to be. I mean, I could see that. Yeah, I could see that.
Nowadays, in 2015, it was recently studied again because these, this has continued on, like there was a big event in Spain. This has continued on throughout the United States. So in 2015, they studied it and they figured out that it's not really blood. Okay.
It is aerial spores of green micro algae, otherwise known as, you got it. I believe in you. Here we go. Trenta, folia, and alluta.
Yeah. Absolutely. I said that myself. It usually covers small areas and the duration can last a really short time or sometimes it can go on for days.
And what it is based on the science is sort of the amalgamation of this algae that collects within a cloud. Okay. So the cloud gets bigger and bigger and bigger and fuller and fuller and the green actually becomes oxidized and it turns red. Think about blood in the body.
It's green, actually. Okay. Did you know this? I thought it was blue.
It's like a blue green. And then when you bleed, it's red, right? It's oxidized. So the same thing essentially happens with this blood rain that it builds up in the clouds.
And then when it comes out, these green spores now have turned into what looks like red blood. So the initial conclusion back in the 1800s was, oh, yes, it is blood. It was not actual blood. So type of spore.
What are the fleshy pieces? So that's something that I couldn't figure out. Like what's the fleshy piece of it? Yeah.
I don't understand that part. Maybe I just can geal. Could be. And they thought it looked more like animal, but wasn't?
Yeah. That would make a lot more sense. Yeah. So apparently in Germany, this had happened.
And they believe that it was the arrival of the Black Death. This happened between 1348 and 1349 gained a lot of exposure during the Renaissance period. And it, you know, was used in a lot of literature as this is the power of God. And if we stray away from God's word, things like this will happen.
This is showing like humanities, you know, evil and the power of what God can do. Okay. So there was a study going back. We're going back forward to 2015, the study of molecular phylogenics and what it did is compared DNA sequences in the isolated rain samples in a God as an Austria.
And they confirmed it all and looked at it and apparently there are different types of species of fungi and algae. Yeah. Very fascinating. Yeah.
Sea spores and all these different kinds of things. So sometimes when it rains, it looks different. So in different places, depending on where you are, humidity, all these things play an issue, play a part into it. So it can look different.
It can look more meteor. It can look more, you know, red. It can look more like dark red blood. Just fascinating.
What would you do if you saw red blood? Rain and blood. I already said I would yell. But you, yeah.
And just say, ah, what the heck is my brain? How are we talking about this? What is going on? Yeah.
Yeah. I think a lot of like, what is happening? It's also thought that it mixes with dust. So then when the rain mixes with dust, it creates more of this reddish color, particularly depending on the color of the dust that it attracts.
And it can be a composed of animal and vegetable matter. So I guess again, you know, when like, when it rains and then things dry, things evaporate into the clouds and beyond. And so, yeah. Okay.
So that means your loved one in the ground. You know, could they just evaporate and be part of that? Probably not from the ground, like in the ground. Maybe if you were cremated in your ashes.
Or if you were put in one of those, like biodegradable when you maybe, or you were like human composting. Yeah. That could. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. But I can understand why most people would think that this was some kind of like threat from God or, or you know, how this would be used throughout history. I could be like, in times it's the time.
Pack it up. All right. That's it. Time for the rapture.
Yeah. We're going. We're going. Take me, Jesus.
It's time. Jesus. Take the wheel. It's good.
It's time. Definitely. Definitely. But I mean, that's pretty much it.
It's just a really kind of short, inexplicable, inexplicable, again, talk today story about spores that's actually blood rain. But what a mystery. Yes. Yeah.
And you know, has it happened to you? Will it happen to you? I don't know. Who knows.
Who's to say really? I mean, if you've experienced blood rain, got to let us know because that is a pretty cool phenomenon. That's a lot. Yeah.
Yeah. That's a pile. Yeah. You're welcome.
So is it mostly you're saying it's happened all over the world? It's not really confined to just North Carolina. No, North Carolinians are, you know, we're not even looking at our brain feels like blood rain, you know, you know, blood rain today. You know, it's happened to all over North America.
Um, recently it's happened in Spain. Oh, yeah. It's happened in Austria all over the world. Yeah.
Blood rain. Blood rain. What was the last episode? That's like 2015.
It was like 2015. Yeah. I say, I haven't seen a feeling that something that will be in the news. Yeah.
Blood rain, you know, we're on my Twitter feed. Red, red rain makes me feel so fine. Keeps me happy. All of the time.
Whoa. That's red, red wine. Yeah. This is a song.
Yeah. Red, red rain. That's um, wow. I don't know if I would like to experience that.
They said that it's actually good for you. Sure. Seriously. Like it actually has like healing properties to it.
I believe it. It does. Um, scientists has said that, you know, you could even eat it if you want to. No, no, I don't want to do that.
You don't. Gosh, I don't see why. I don't know anything that falls from this guy. Really?
I don't really understand that, but okay, whatever. If you want to be that way, it says in one article that you shouldn't be worried about it, that it's non-toxic and is often used as a source of a food source for salmon and trout to give them a more pinkish hue. So they're, we're just like collecting it and feeding it to our, or, or it just rains into the ocean and whatever and they just consume it and, um, type of algae. It's also used by Yamaha, who, the motorcycle and piano company, um, and they use it to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in their factories.
Interesting. Yeah. Okay. So just when you think like, oh, yeah, that's going to kill me.
Turns out it's just a spore. Yeah. A freshwater green micro algae spore, also known as Hey, Matokas pluralis. There you go.
I bet you're that. But I mean, if you see it coming, just know it's good for you. It's good for you. It might be scary, but it's good for you.
Just open your mouth. Drinking blood rain. Mm. Yeah.
If you are faced with blood rain, there you go. Yeah. Like, oh, more to clean up blood rain. Great.
Get my mop. At least you have those spin mops. Those are really. Well, why don't you tell folks how to get a hold of this?
Yeah. You can send us an email to mountmiseries.epilatchin.gmail.com. If you have experienced blood rain, please let us know. Find us on Facebook, Mount Mysteries, Tales from Appalachia.
Find us on our Instagram, Mount Mysteries dot Appalachia. And check us out on our patreon, the word patreon dot com slash Mount Mysteries. Yes. Always a good time there.
Good times. We blood rain just all the time. All the time. I'm going to give a shout out to Baja, Tijuana, California.
It is right there on the coast of, or on the border of Mexico. Yes. Thank you for listening. Until next time.
Yep. Maybe it'll rain blood. We'll see. Help that.
That's all. Don't want to experience that. All right. See you next week.
Bye. Bye.