Chestnuts

On New Year's Day I was hiking in Marin County (near Fairfax, off Bolinas Road) and picked up some nuts that looked like chestnuts.  They were bitter to taste, so I brought them home and baked them in the oven for a while.  Now they have a more mellow taste, though I am still finding them somewhat bitter.  Seems like there is lots of natural oils in these nuts.  I did a little research before I began chewing (just to make sure I wouldn't poison myself).  I found a wikipedia entry but not much else.  I thought they were Japanese chestnuts.  Then I asked a friend and he said they are california buckeye, a seed that is considered poisonous.  Wooops!

Next time, I'll try to leach them first, like the Indians did, to remove the toxins.

Regret

Regret,
The feeling you have missed a chance, why did you, if you only had ...
the consequence of a real event? just a current malaise? maybe, a former one?
The mind a flytrap, no matter how hard you shake it,
  unable to shake an uncomfortable thought.
Losing sleep, restless, looking to escape
For a moment, escape, a sudden realization
  on a sunny day, the clouds, lifted.
There is clarity, fleeting,
then, later, much later,
The heaviness of doubt, questions, return.