The collector

Matthew turned eleven last week. I know it sounds trite, but it seems like just yesterday this little pork chop was splashing in his bathtub on our kitchen counter.

Eleven years.... same dimples.

So what does every eleven year old boy want for his birthday? Why, a white tailed deer skull in an antique display case, of course.

I found it in an antique store when we were in Vermont at the beginning of July. It may seem like a strange choice for a birthday gift for a child, but I knew immediately that Matthew would love it. For he's an avid collector of... how shall I put this... biological samples.

Some of them aren't so bad. He has an enormous shell collection on his bedroom floor (it only smells bad if you open the tupperware boxes it's stored in), and at the cottage a collection of rocks, assorted snake skins and turkey feathers (a surprising number of wild turkeys inhabit our property).

But let's not forget his eclectic collection of "city gathered" biologicals.

That would be a bird's nest, a hornet nest, some kind of tree knot, and two rodent skulls. With teeth. He recently found a racoon carcass that's all flat and dried out on the ground and he's been begging to be allowed to bring the skull home to add to his collection.

I really don't know how I gave birth to such a quirky little creature, but it's certainly entertaining watching him grow.