THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 23, 1996 TAG: 9610220113
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: COASTAL JOURNAL
SOURCE: MARY REID BARROW
LENGTH: 97 lines
A duck named Sapphire has grown up thinking that it is Katrina Reitzel's best buddy. Every evening Sapphire walks up to the wheelchair ramp outside Katrina's house and waits to be invited in.
When Katrina's mom, Cheryl Hayes, lets the young Muscovy duck in, it marches straight back to Katrina's room where she is stretched on a reclining chair. The duck sits right by the chair until someone picks it up and puts it on a blanket by Katrina.
``Just like clockwork, she falls asleep,'' Katrina said.
The duckling, now half-grown, not only naps right next to Katrina, but she tolerates petting from Katrina, Hayes, Hayes' other daughter, Melissa Hayes and neighborhood friends. Sapphire came into the Hayes/ Reitzel household as a tiny duckling, one of a group that hatched in July in the family's yard.
``She was the little weakling of the bunch,'' Hayes said.
Twice when the duckling wasn't doing well, Hayes took it in to feed it and give it water in hopes that it would catch up. Each time they put it back with the mother, but the little duck just wandered off alone. ``The third time we found her, she had been attacked by animals,'' Hayes said. ``We said, `That's it. We're keeping you and we won't let anything happen to you.' ''
Sapphire is growing up healthy now, trying to fly and leaving during the day to swim with other ducks on the canal behind the house. But each evening, the young Muscovy still comes back for a nap with Katrina before Hayes puts the critter out for the night.
``We're hoping deep down,'' Hayes said, ``that she'll stay around and have a little hatchling of ducklings and bring them over to see us, too.''
TALES FROM THE WEB: Several folks called and sent e-mail about unpleasant run-ins with the poisonous brown recluse spiders, but Sandra Campbell's tale is the worst.
Campbell was bitten above her nose on her forehead by one of the spiders in March. This month she's preparing to undergo plastic surgery, not only to correct the scarring on her forehead, but also to correct dark shadows underneath her eyes where the poison affected her sinus cavities. As a result of the poison, her vision was diminished, too, Campbell said.
FAN MAIL FROM SOME FLOUNDER? A wine bottle with a note in it was found on the beach near Fort Story recently by Diane Sumerlin. The short note said only: ``30 August 96, Down the sound just ahead of Edouard, Recidivist.'' Sumerlin assumes ``Recidivist'' is the name of the boat and that Edouard was the hurricane. She wonders who dropped the green wine bottle overboard and into which sound. Call my INFOLINE number if you have any ideas.
ODD HALLOWEEN: Kids can celebrate Halloween in a couple of unusual ways this year, either at the Virginia Marine Science Museum or at historic Adam Thoroughgood House.
Museum Monster Madness is a Halloween affair for kids from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at the museum. The cost is $4 for museum members and $6 for non-members. Call 437-6003 for reservations.
A Creepy Crawly Room, featuring Nature's Myths and Mysteries, is the main creature feature of the evening. Live animals like hissing cockroaches, a tarantula and other weird creatures, even leeches and maggots are on exhibit. Special programming will include live bats and rats.
The Creepy Crawly Room will remain open until Nov. 3 for all you folks out there who might find it fascinating, Halloween or not.
At the Adam Thoroughgood House, 17th century Superstitions tours with special Halloween activities for families will take place every half hour from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday. Outside the historic house, there will be a bonfire, cider and cookies, along with sack races, bobbing for apples and other 17th century games.
Costumed interpreters will lead the tours by candlelight and talk about the early colonists' superstitions. For example, a black cat as a symbol for bad luck originated long ago because folks thought witches turned into black cats at night!
Superstitions tours alone also will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Saturday. Cost for either evening is $3 for adults and $2 for students. Call 664-6283 for reservations.
P.S. Dragon Run Cypress Swamp is the meeting topic of the Hampton Roads Chapter of the Virginia Native Plant Society at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Francis Land House.
BIRD SEED SALE: The annual sale by the Cape Henry Audubon Society will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday at Carey's Farmers Market, 5651 E. Virginia Beach Blvd., just over the Norfolk line. Everything from black oil sunflower seed to suet cakes will be available, and Carey's will offer 15 percent off bird feeders and houses that day, too.
FISH FRY: The Creeds Ruritan Club will serve up the goodies from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Ruritan Community Barn, 1057 Princess Anne Road. Corn bread, coleslaw and stewed potatoes are on the menu too. Cost is $6 a person. MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? And what do you know
about Tidewater traditions and lore? Call me on INFOLINE, 640-5555.
Enter category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my Internet address:
mbarrow(AT)infi.net. ILLUSTRATION: Photo by MARY REID BARROW
Katrina Reitzel, her sister, Melissa Hayes, and friend, Erika
Seichrist, visit with Sapphire, the Muscovy duck that likes to nap
in Reitzel's lap. by CNB