THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 28, 1996 TAG: 9607260165
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ERIC FEBER
LENGTH: 59 lines
Bookworm
Walk into the Central Library's Children's Department and you'll see on the back wall an art display dedicated to this summer's children's reading program, ``Choose Your Own Adventure.''
Martha Cole and the other children's department staffers are proud of the colorful wall, which features Raggedy Andy, sitting reading a book on marine life. In the display Andy is dressed as a pirate and sitting on a desert island under a palm tree.
On the right he's flanked by a pirate ship made out of colorful construction paper and to his left is what seems to be water with some beach flora and fauna.
Cole said library staffers and volunteers made her idea into a reality when they created the summer reading club wall.
``But they won't leave Andy's book alone,'' Cole said.
She explained that when children walk over to inspect the display they seem to be intrigued by what Andy has to read and sometimes help themselves to his book, leaving poor ol' Andy stuck on that island with nothing to do.
``The book does keep disappearing,'' Cole said with a chuckle. ``The children want to know what Andy's reading. But each time we find the book we put it back in Andy's hands. So far he's only managed to read two books all summer long.''
For the birds
The home of Ginger and Mark Harrop in the Kemp Woods section of Indian River is for the birds.
The Harrop home is a recent winner of the Chesapeake Environmental Improvement Council's annual ``Yard of the Month'' contest, where each month several homes from a designated Chesapeake neighborhood are nominated and then rated by a panel of Master Gardener judges.
The judges rate each home in regard to the lawn, flowers, shrubbery, trees, displays and lawn ornaments. Each yard is judged according to neatness, design, shape of fencing and overall aesthetic value.
Master Gardener judges weren't only impressed with what the Harrops have done to their lawn and yards, but what all that greenery attracts.
``All of the judges were quite impressed that the Harrops' yard has been declared an official bird sanctuary by the National Wildlife Federation,'' Kerry Goldmeyer, CEIC vice chairperson and a Master Gardener, said in a recent CEIC press release.
It seems that birds abound on the Harrop property thanks to the copious array of bird baths, bird feeders and bird houses. Bluebirds and all types of ducks are just a few of the feathered friends hanging out there.
The yard also attracts squirrels and butterflies because of the abundance of flowers, native plants, butterfly bushes and plants bearing berries. The Harrops even make sure that whatever critter ventures in, there'll be plenty to eat. The couple regularly provides water, crunchy peanut butter, day-old bread and corn for any creatures that come calling.
The Harrops have lived in their home for the past four years and work diligently on their property, usually averaging 30 hours a week. The reward, they say, is in the birds that regularly visit their home now.
``We have seen more bluebirds in Chesapeake than at our old house in Pungo,'' Ginger Harrop said. by CNB