My name is Vampire Tiger

This evening Wren asked me why we gave him such a boring name.  He said wanted "a cool name" instead. 

"We called you Wren because we though it was a cool name" I told him.  "What is a cool name you would like?" I wondered.

"Oh, you know, like TIGER or VAMPIRE.  I like Wren.  So, instead of (names changed for publicity purposes) Wren Victor Smith I would be Wren Vampire Tiger."

"Oh"  I said.  I mean, what is there to say.

"Yeah, or Wren Vampire Smith."

"Well, you can change it when you get older if you like."

"Okay," he said "and where are my mushrooms?  I want to eat more of our mushrooms before my Otter Pop."

Wren has developed a great appreciation for foraged mushrooms as the season of all things fungal comes into the Northwest.  Last weekend we collected 3 lbs of chanterelles on Vashon and I bought another 7 lbs at the store where they were on sale for $3.99 a lb!!! I have never seen them that price before.  I wish I had bought more but I have to cook and preserve these first.  People here call them 'shanties'.

I have also enjoyed a snack of coprinus micaceus (Shiny cap) for the first time. I identified them in the forest but didn't know they were edible and collected them later in our neighborhood on a rotted buried log.

I ate these for a snack on my pasta tonight.  Wren said "they taste like water"

I also ate mixed boletes (birch bolete and suillus luteus  slippery Jack) from the neighbors yard.  All utterly delicious.

Mixed Vashon chanterelles and boletes from the neighborhood