Wec dm april15

APRIL 2015 • POWERING YOUR COMMUNITY

Wiregrass Electric COOPERATIVE

Honoring Service WEC Serviceman has served 50 years, still going strong

www.wiregrass.coop

CEO

Les Moreland CO-OP EDITOR

WEC Member Services Division ALABAMA LIVING is delivered to some 420,000 Alabama families and businesses, which are members of 22 not-for-profit, consumer-owned, locally directed and taxpaying electric cooperatives. AREA cooperative member subscriptions are $3 a year; non-member subscriptions, $6.

Alabama Living (USPS 029-920) is published monthly by the Alabama Rural Electric Association of Cooperatives.

Periodicals postage paid at Montgomery, Alabama, and at additional mailing office.

POSTMASTER send forms 3579 to: Alabama Living, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, Alabama 36124-4014.

ALABAMA RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION

AREA PRESIDENT Fred Braswell EDITOR Lenore Vickrey MANAGING EDITOR Allison Griffin CREATIVE DIRECTOR Mark Stephenson ART DIRECTOR Michael Cornelison ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Jacob Johnson ADVERTISING COORDINATOR Brooke Davis RECIPE EDITOR Mary Tyler Spivey

VOL. 68 NO. 4 APRIL 2015

6 50 years of keeping the lights on Bill Cobb still wakes up every day excited to serve his neighbors as a WEC employee, with no plans to retire anytime soon.

20 Refresh your decor for garden magic

ON THE COVER

WEC Serviceman Bill Cobb was recently recognized by the Board of Trustees for his years of service to cooperative members.

See Page 6.

If a quirky sculpture or fountain brings you joy, it belongs in your garden.

34 Montgomery Youth Tour 2015 High school juniors from 18 Alabama electric cooperatives took part in the annual Youth Tour in our state’s capital in March.

ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL OFFICES:

340 TechnaCenter Drive Montgomery, Alabama 36117-6031 1-800-410-2737 E-mail: advertising@areapower.com www.areapower.coop

When you see this symbol, it means there’s more content online at www.alabamaliving.coop!

Videos, expanded stories and more!

NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE:

National Country Market 611 South Congress Ave., Suite 504 Austin, Texas 78704 1-800-626-1181 www.nationalcountrymarket.com www.alabamaliving.coop

DEPARTMENTS 9 40 41

USPS 029-920 • ISSN 1047-0311

Trees can do much more than change the way your yard looks.

A full-grown tree can shade your home in the summer, lowering cooling costs. In the winter, trees can help break winds that keep homes cold, lowering heating costs. That’s why WEC is once again celebrating Earth Day by giving away 100 sapling trees throughout the month of April. See Page 8 for details.

42 46

Spotlight Outdoors Fish & Game Forecast Bookshelf Cook of the Month

Printed in America from American materials

Alabama Living

APRIL 2015 3

Wiregrass Electric Cooperative

CEO’s Comments

A lifetime of serving others

Board of Trustees Danny McNeil District 4 President

John Clark, Jr. District 3 Vice-President

Debra E. Baxley District 1 Secretary

Donna Parrish District 2

Tracy Reeder District 5

Kip Justice District 6

Donald Ray Wilks District 7

Greg McCullough District 8

Nolan Laird District 9

4 APRIL 2015

Les Moreland, CEO Wiregrass Electric Cooperative

S

ometimes it seems like things used to be simpler, a generation or so ago. Several of us grew up with stories of when there weren’t so many options, and life was a lot slower.

Today, things move pretty quickly. I’m not against all the wonderful things technology brings us, but it does seem like we have a lot more to think about and choices to make on a daily basis. Your grandparents didn’t worry about choosing from 50 brands of sugar and flour or a thousand television shows.

Similarly, in today’s world it’s not the norm for a man or woman to pick a single company to spend their entire life with. Career advice today says to “jump around” every few years, and that it could actually be bad to stay with one job for too long.

I’d like to disagree, and I think anyone who has ever met Bill Cobb will understand why.

Bill is a serviceman here at Wiregrass Electric Cooperative and has worked 50 years now for our members. The Board of Trustees recognized this wonderful achievement at our February board meeting by passing a resolution to honor Mr. Cobb. We also presented him with a plaque to help commemorate the occasion.

And, make no mistake: Bill has no plans to retire. You can read along as he describes his commitment to this cooperative in his own words on Page 6 of this issue of Alabama Living, but to sum it up: He loves his job, he’s proud of what he does and he is happy when he gets up every morning.

Bill is an outstanding employee, and this cooperative is lucky to have his dedication and service. He’s also not alone. When I look at the team here at Wiregrass Electric, I see a

lot of people who have chosen to spend their entire careers right here with us.

Why? What makes the rules of “only work somewhere a few years before you move on” not apply to these people?

I believe it’s because WEC is not a typical business. We’re a cooperative, and that means that things here are different. For one, we are owned by our members and we exist to serve those members. While some people may believe the key to happiness is making a large profit margin — we know better.

We know that real satisfaction comes from helping your neighbors each and every day. From weathering a storm and restoring power to families that need it most, and who you also see at the church house or the grocery store. We measure how we’re doing as a cooperative by member satisfaction, not by income. And we’re proud to say that we maintain a satisfaction rate higher than many of our peers — 90 percent.

But we never rest on our laurels. We are constantly looking for ways to serve you better, from providing interactive applications on our website (wiregrass.coop) such as our Weather Insights or Home Energy Calculator, which can help you understand and reduce your energy usage, to our new kiosks that allow members to make cash payments, 24/7.

I think if you ask anyone who has decided to make serving the members of Wiregrass Electric their career, they’ll tell you they are glad they did. We believe in what we do, and we’re proud to say that we work at one of the greatest places around. A

www.wiregrass.coop

 Your Cooperative Contact Information

Stay safe and in control with two apps from WEC Wiregrass Electric Mobile The Wiregrass Electric Mobile app allows you to view your bill, see your usage and more! If you are an InControl member, you will also be able to deposit money into your prepay account.

Our app makes managing your Wiregrass Electric account simple!

SAF-T-Net

The Wiregrass is no stranger to severe weather, and knowing when that weather is approaching Download it today! can be life saving. That’s why the free SAF-T-Net smartphone app was For Apple devices, search for developed.

“Wiregrass Electric Mobile” in The app notifies users when they the App Store. are in the path of severe weather and provides radar and satellite images of For Android devices, search for approaching storms.

“Wiregrass Electric Mobile” in Recently redesigned with new Google Play. features, SAF-T-Net is no longer just for storms, either. The app offers a seven-day forecast, current temperatures and more.

Download it today!

For Apple devices, search for “SAF-T-Net” in the App Store.

For Android devices, search for “SAF-T-Net” in Google Play.

Alabama Living

Business Phone: 1-800-239-4602 (24 hrs/day) Office: Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Toll Free Outage “Hotline” 1-888-4-MY-OUTAGE 1-888-469-6882 (24 hrs/day) Website www.wiregrass.coop Find Wiregrass Electric Co-op on Twitter (twitter.com/wec2) and on Facebook

Payment Options

BY MAIL Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, Inc. Department 1340, P.O. Box 2153 Birmingham, AL 35287-1340 WEBSITE Payments may be made 24 hrs/day by Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express and E-Check on our website at www.wiregrass.coop.

PHONE PAYMENTS Payments may be made any time by dialing 1-800-239-4602.

NIGHT DEPOSITORY Available at each office location.

IN PERSON Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Hartford 509 N. State Hwy. 167 Hartford, AL 36344 Samson 13148 W. State Hwy. 52 Samson, AL 36477 Ashford 1066 Ashford Highway Ashford, AL 36312 Dothan 6167 Fortner St. Dothan, AL 36305 For questions regarding sanitation service, call Houston County Sanitation Department at 334-677-4705 or Dothan City Sanitation at 334-6153820.

APRIL 2015 5

Full of Energy: Bill Cobb celebrates 50 years as WEC lineman On Feb. 23, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative Board of Trustees recognized serviceman Bill Cobb for his 50 years of dedicated service to the members of WEC with a resolution of appreciation.

Cobb remembers his first day of work: He was 19 years old, and it was January 21, 1965. He and his wife, Ann, were newlyweds, and he needed a good job.

He heard about available work at the cooperative and landed a job as a hot line crew trainee.

“I recall how dangerous it was and how hard it was,” the Wicksburg resi6 APRIL 2015

dent and Hartford native says of his first day. “When I started, everything was done by hand, and it was really difficult work, and it was hazardous work.”

But he stuck with it as bucket trucks and other tools and techniques were introduced over the years that made his job safer. He was promoted several times for his efforts, becoming a groundman, journeyman and foreman.

Since 1985, he’s been working in the position of serviceman, with his main responsibilities being “to keep power on, after hours and on weekends.” He says he knows being on call is simply part of the job, and though it is more dif-

ficult in times of extreme cold or when damaging winds have rolled through the area, he says most workdays have been enjoyable thus far.

“It’s the people I work with, and the type of work I do, climbing poles and stuff like that,” says Cobb. “I liked climbing poles and being outside …

I never hated getting up and going to work — I’ve always loved what I do and been proud of what I do.”

Joey Brown, manager of operations for WEC, says Cobb is an employee who can always be relied upon, both in his daily duties and when an after-hours outage occurs. www.wiregrass.coop

Employee Profile

“He’s top of the class,” says Brown.

“There’s nothing he’s not willing to do during the day and all hours of the night. He can get home from an outage call and get called again at 2 or 3 in the morning and he’s ready to go right back out. No matter the weather, no matter the condition, he’s just ready to go. That doesn’t affect him in any way, shape, form or fashion. It’s always impressed me, and it’s something the rest of the crews respect greatly.”

Brown, a 27-year employee of the coop himself, says WEC is a place where dedicated and hardworking employees can spend their careers and be sure of promotion for a job well done. “WEC is a place where you spend your entire career, like Bill has done,” says Brown.

“There’s no greater place to work, and the people here know it. That’s why you see people who have stayed here 50 years.”

With WEC having between 60 and 70 employees, many of them with de-

cades of service, those here truly know and care about each other, Brown added.

“It’s more family oriented, everybody knows everybody, and everybody knows everybody’s kids,” he says. “To me it’s always been just a great place to work.”

WEC CEO Les Moreland agrees.

“Electric cooperatives are different than many private employers in today’s business climate,” he says. “The cooperative looks for people who will spend their entire careers here and who live in the service area, interacting regularly with other members at church, sporting events and other aspects of their daily lives. We like to think that it’s a lifetime hire when we bring somebody in, and most of the time that’s true.”

Working at WEC for the past decade, Moreland says he missed much of Cobb’s tenure there, but he’s no stranger to the levels of dedication and service he’s brought to his work with the co-op.

“Bill is always ready to go 24/ 7, 365 days a year,” Moreland says, and no matter the situation or time of day, “He’s just always anxious to respond whenever we need him.”

Cobb is one of six servicemen that handle 15 substations and 3,074 miles of lines in a 2,000-square-mile territory divided among them.

“I have no plans to retire whatsoever,” says Cobb. “I’m fortunate to be in good health, and I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.” In his spare time he enjoys farming. He and Ann have been married for 51 years and have three children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Even after 50 years, Cobb says he still wakes up eager to tackle whatever the workday’s challenges present.

“I keep thinking maybe I’ll wake up one morning and say I’m tired of it,” says Cobb. “But that’s sure never happened yet after all these years.” A

WEC Board of Trustees President Danny McNeil (Left) and CEO Les Moreland (Right) recently presented Cobb with a plaque commemorating his years of service. McNeil hold a framed copy of the resolution while Moreland holds a commemorative plaque made for Cobb.

Alabama Living

APRIL 2015 7

Celebrate

Earth Day with Energy-Saving Trees from WEC

Sometimes, the best solutions are the simplest. With energy usage, this seems to be especially true. The easiest way to lower an electric bill is to use less electricity: Set the thermostat back a few degrees, caulk the gaps around your windows and turn the lights off when you leave the room.

Last year, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative became the first cooperative in the nation to join a program that can save members up to 20 percent on their electric bills over time, without ever flipping a switch. It’s another simple solution called Energy-Saving Trees, and it comes from a partnership with the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Trees can do much more than change the way your yard looks. Properly positioned, a full-grown tree can shade your home in the summer, lowering cooling costs. In the winter, trees can help break winds that keep homes cold, lowering heating costs.

That’s why WEC is once again celebrating Earth Day by giving away 100 sapling trees throughout the month of April on our Facebook page. Once you have claimed a tree, you will be able to access a Web application that can display your home, showing the potential savings for every spot in your yard and helping you select the best place to plant your new sapling.

Plant a tree & save on your energy bills: Trees can add value to your home — as much as 15 percent by some estimates.

Trees can lower your heating bills by 10-20 percent.

Trees can lower your cooling bills by 15-35 percent.

Trees can provide shelter and food for songbirds and other wildlife.

Source: www.arborday.org

To enter, just watch WEC’s Facebook page throughout the month of April. We will create posts, and the first people to comment will receive these free trees.

8 APRIL 2015

www.wiregrass.coop

Spot Light

In April APRIL 18-19

A step back in time

PHOTO BY JOHN GREENE

When they think of Fort Toulouse-Fort Jackson Park near Wetumpka, most folks think of the annual Frontier Days event, in which tens of thousands of visitors and schoolchildren come to learn about pioneer life in early Alabama. But the annual French and Indian War Encampment each April is equally special, focusing on the military forces of France, Britain and their American Indian allies. Re-enactors will be dressed and equipped as they appeared in North America during the mid-18th century.

Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for children 6-18. Search “Fort Toulouse-Jackson Park” on Facebook or call 334-567-3002.

Send us a photo of your favorite historic markers in your hometown!

What’s your favorite historic marker in your hometown? Tell us in 100 words or so why, and include a photo, if possible. Email your info to agriffin@areapower.com. Deadline is April 30. We’ll publish a selection of historic markers in our June travel issue.

APRIL 23-25

Writers, scholars converge on Monroeville This year’s Alabama Writers Symposium will feature some of the country’s favorite writers as well as students and scholars – all of whom share a love of the written word and the state’s literary heritage. They’ll lead discussion sessions, readings and workshops on themes ranging from literary gumbo to murder, mystery and mayhem. Among the literary luminaries scheduled to attend this 18th annual event are Rick Bragg, Rob Gray, Rod Davis, Frye Gaillard, Chantel Acevedo, Ravi Howard, Jeanie Thompson, Nancy Anderson and Cynthia Tucker Haynes. All events take place on the campus of Alabama Southern Community College, the Monroeville Community House and the Monroe County Museum downtown.

Visit www.writerssymposium.org or call 251-575-8223 to register by April 3.

Follow the smells on the Alabama BBQ Trail The Alabama Tourism Department has a new tool to help you discover the state’s best barbecue restaurants. The new Alabama BBQ Trail smartphone app will also track the places you’ve tried, as well as set up alerts to sound when you’re near a restaurant you’ve wanted to try. The app is available for iPhone and Android; visit http://alabama.travel/bbq-app to download.

Want to see more events or submit your own?

Alabama Living

Visit www.alabamaliving.coop to submit an event and view our calendar or email an event to events@alabamaliving.coop.

APRIL 2015 9

Power Pack

Spring into a stress-free retirement April has arrived, and spring is here! As we say “goodbye” to winter weather hardships and “hello” to gardens budding with vibrant color, we welcome the season by celebrating Stress Awareness Month.

Did you know that stress, also called the “silent killer,” could cause heart disease and high blood pressure? Recognizing the sources of stress is the best way to understand how you can start eliminating factors in your life that put unnecessary strain on your body and mind.

Social Security wants to make your retirement planning as stress-free as possible, which is why we have a number of online tools available for you. You can create your own secure, personal my Social Security account from the comfort of your living room and avoid unpleasant traffic and a possible long wait in one of our field offices. Once you have a my Social Security account, you can view your Social Security Statement, verify your earnings record, and find out what to expect in monthly benefits if you retire at ages 62, 67, or 70.

Once you begin receiving Social Security

benefits, you can use my Social Security to check your benefit information, change your address and phone number, change your electronic payment method, and obtain an instant benefit verification letter and replacement SSA-1099/1042S. You can easily sign up for my Social Security at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount.

If you’re thinking about retiring at an age not shown on your Statement, reduce the stress of the unknown by using our Retirement Estimator. The Retirement Estimator allows you to calculate your potential future Social Security benefits by changing variables such as retirement dates and future earnings. You may discover that you’d rather wait another year or two before you retire to earn a higher benefit. Or, you might see that this is the season for you to kiss that work stress goodbye and retire right now. To get instant, personalized estimates of your future benefits, go to www.socialsecurity. gov/estimator.

When you decide it’s time to start re-

ceiving your retirement benefits, the application process is far less stressful now that you’re prepared. You can securely apply online without picking up the phone or leaving your house. Simply go to www.socialsecurity.gov/applyonline, and, in as little as 15 minutes, you can breeze through our online retirement application.

Our website and online tools are always available. You can enjoy Social Security’s stress-free retirement planning tools any time of the year, giving you more time to enjoy these warmer months. Doesn’t that put a spring in your step? A

Kylle’ McKinney, SSA Public Affairs Specialist, can be reached by e-mail at kylle.mckinney@ ssa.gov.

Down memory lane with Pages from the past Co-op history book presented to local schools In the April 1985 AREA Magazine, predecessor to Alabama Living, several editions carried the news that local cooperatives had presented a copy of The Next Greatest Thing, a book commemorating the 50th anniversary of the beginning of rural electrification, to schools and libraries in their area.

In this edition of the Covington Electric Co-op magazine, staff assistant and member services director Ed Short (now Covington’s president and CEO) presents a copy to Nelson Whitehurst, principal of Goodman Junior High School. At right, Alan Thrash, member services representative (now vice president, operations), presents a copy to James Johnson, principal of Fleeta Junior High.

The book, published by the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, took its 10 APRIL 2015

title from a statement made by a Tennessee farmer in the 1940s, shortly after his house received electricity for the first time: “Brothers and sisters, I want to tell you this. The greatest thing on earth is the love of God in your heart, and the next greatest thing is to have electricity in your house.” A

Letters to the editor Dear editor, Michael Cornelison’s articles about Jason Isbell and Spooner Oldham, etc., in this month’s edition (March 2015) are wonderful. I LOVE Spooner and am so happy to see he’s still alive and (hopefully) well.

He is a brilliant musician and has made some beautiful music over the years! Thanks for the great features!

Nancy Carrell Dallas, Hartselle Thanks to all who’ve written us! If you’ve got an interesting Alabama fact to share, email us at agriffin@ areapower.com

www.alabamaliving.coop

Still looking for de Soto with the help of pig bones In October of 1540, at the Indian town of Mabila, soldiers of Hernando de Soto clashed with the forces of chief Tascaluza.

When the fighting was done, one Spaniard estimated that between 2,500 and 5,000 Indians lay dead. If the count is anywhere close to correct, this was the bloodiest battle fought on North American soil until Union and Confederate armies slaughtered each other at Shiloh.

Mabila was in Alabama.

We don’t know where.

Soon we might.

A few months ago, a three-university archaeological expedition set out to find where the battle was fought.

It won’t be easy.

We are not even sure of the route de Soto traveled.

Back in 1939, a national commission was set up to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the Spanish invasion. It identified what it felt was de Soto’s route and put Mabila down in Clarke County, where I grew up. Locals were so tickled with the honor that they named a Boy Scout Camp after the battle.

Then, years later, a cadre of anthropologists, archaeologists, and

Alabama Living

historians did another study, and concluded that Mabila was likely located farther north, where the Cahaba River empties into the Alabama, near the site of Cahawba, Alabama’s first state capital.

Couldn’t be, one critic claimed. The Spaniards wrote of meeting Indians who wore hats made from palmetto fronds and ate chestnut bread. No palmetto and chestnut at Cahawba.

Then someone produced a picture of palmetto-covered wetlands at the site and pointed to a nearby plantation called “Chestnut Hill,” which was obviously not named for the pines on the place.

The critic pouted.

Meanwhile Clarke County rejected the new findings and continued to claim Mabila as its own, an intransigence that reveals just how much it means to a community to know that history once touched it. Towns all over the state would like to attach “de Soto slept here” to their city seal.

Now if the folks leading this new expedition asked me, I’d suggest they take a look at the route-tracing scheme devised

by Doug Jones of the Alabama Museum of Natural History.

You see, we have only a few sites where we know de Soto camped. At one site archeologists found pig bones.

Jones suggested that scientists extract DNA from de Soto pigs and clone modern pigs that would have the route imprinted in its genetic structure. OK, I don’t understand either, but it sounds good.

Then the cloned pigs would be released and following them would confirm, once and for all, the route de Soto took.

On that route they would find Mabila.

Now the expedition may already be using this approach. If they are, I hope they do as Jones proposed and when the pigs reach their destination, throw a wing-ding barbeque.

I hope I am invited. A Harvey H. (“Hardy”) Jackson is retired professor emeritus of history at Jacksonville State University whose most recent book is The Rise and Decline of the Redneck Riviera, featured in the January 2013 Alabama Living. His work appears in the Anniston Star and Northeast Alabama Living. He can be reached at hjackson@ cableone.net.

APRIL 2015 11

Home & Garden Special

Festivals celebrate the lovely, fragile Cahaba lily

Rivers in bloom Story and photos by David Haynes

12 APRIL 2015

www.alabamaliving.coop

E

ven though the camellia is Alabama’s state flower, the rare and wild-growing Cahaba lily is almost certainly the most recognizable bloom found here in the Heart of Dixie.

Photographs and illustrations of this beautiful white spider lily (Hymenocallis coronaria) adorn everything from license plates to coffee mugs, so much so that most Alabamians could identify its distinctive white-on-white blooms before those of the camellia.

Named the Cahaba lily here due to large populations in the shoals of the Cahaba River in central Alabama, the same flower is also found on other streams in Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina and parts of North Carolina, where it’s known as the Shoal lily or Shoals spider-lily. In fact, this lily was first observed by renowned naturalist William Bartram in 1783 in the Savannah River near Augusta, Ga. Whatever the name, these unique aquatic plants require clean, swift water and rocky shoals to thrive. When they bloom in May and June (usually between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day) each year, thousands of people make pilgrimages to canoe or wade into Alabama’s shoals to take in a spectacular panorama.

In good years I’ve seen a waterway turn almost solid white for as far as the eye can see, as hundreds of thousands of these three-foot-high blooms merge together, like a new snowfall covering the stream.

Many locations for the Cahaba lily are somewhat remote and getting to them can be a logistical challenge involving canoes, kayaks or other watercraft, plus shuttling vehicles back and forth

at put-in and take-out points.

But we Alabamians are fortunate to have some of the easiest access to view these lilies up close at the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge near West Blocton in Bibb County. Here these unique lilies are literally within view of a gravel road that parallels the Cahaba River for a mile or more.

This is also home to the Cahaba Lily Festival, which will be May 16 in West Blocton and at the Cahaba Wildlife Refuge a few miles away. Farther south in late May, the Hatchet Creek Festival offers a two-day paddling trip to see the lilies in Coosa County (see story, page 14).

Myrtle Jones, an original volunteer organizer of the Cahaba Lily Festival, says this will be the 26th annual event.

Events will begin with an 8 a.m. registration at the Cahaba Lily Center in downtown West Blocton, followed by programs featuring speakers from the Cahaba River Society, Alabama Fish and Game, Wildlife Rescue and other festivities, including the crowning of the 2015 Miss Cahaba Lily.

Samford University professor Lawrence Davenport, considered the world’s leading authority on the Cahaba lily, will again be the featured speaker, as he has been for each of the previous 25 festivals.

“That first year it was pretty much just me and my slide projector at the First Baptist Church,” Davenport says. The Cahaba Lily Festival is the first such festival to be established to honor a flower. However, in the years since the festival in West Blocton

Cahaba lilies, shown here on Hatchet Creek in Coosa County, bloom for just one day during their season, which is generally from May through June.

Alabama Living

APRIL 2015 13

Mike Duffey of Rome, Ga., paddles through a stand of Cahaba lilies.

For additional information on the Cahaba River Festival, visit any or all of the following websites: • Cahabalily.com: www.cahabalily.com/cahabalilyfestival/ • Facebook: www.facebook.com/cahabalily • Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge: www.fws.gov/ refuges/profiles/index.cfm?id=43665 • Cahaba River Society: www.cahabariversociety.org/recreationrecreation-on-the-cahaba/the-lilies/

Even though the camellia is Alabama’s state flower, the rare and wild-growing Cahaba lily is almost certainly the most recognizable bloom found here in the Heart of Dixie. began, similar events have been established in both Georgia and South Carolina celebrating the same lily, he says.

He notes that the Cahaba lily is found in the shoals of the Cahaba River from its headwaters near Trussville all the way downstream to Centerville. Other places in Alabama where the lily is found include tributaries of the Black Warrior, Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers, he said.

Davenport wrote an article for the Encyclopedia of Alabama about these striking blooms, which open in the early evening when they are most fragrant. Unfortunately, human activities threaten the survival of the Cahaba lily, including the damming of rivers for navigation and power generation. More recently, the lily has been threatened by increasing levels of sediment from development, logging and mining.

The best hope for the lilies’ survival may be increased awareness of its fragile habitat, thanks to public events like the Cahaba Lily Festival and the Hatchet Creek Festival.

Jones explains that the event has grown each year since the first festival in 1990, when it consisted of Davenport, a few enthusiastic West Blocton volunteers, several home-baked cakes and a program at the First Baptist Church. Today the Festival involves more than 30 volunteers and is attended by more than 400 people each year from around the United States as well as from other countries.

Following lunch, a bus shuttle will be available to ferry attendees from town the five miles or so to the Cahaba River National Nature Preserve, where large stands of the blooming flowers are near the gravel road that parallels the river.

Randall Haddock, field director for the Cahaba River Society, tells me that group will have rental canoes available that day for festival-goers who want to do more than get their feet wet. He adds that while the shoals that are beside the road usually have lilies blooming during the festival, the more adventurous can also take a 20-minute hike farther downstream to Hargrove Shoals to see one of the largest blooms on the entire river. A

Paddle Hatchet Creek to see more Cahaba lilies in May For those with a more adventurous spirit, an overnight paddling trip on Hatchet Creek in Coosa County will carry participants through several wide shoals choked down with Cahaba lilies in late May. Registration for the Third Annual Hatchet Creek Festival on May 30-31 is open through April 30, but space is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis.

The $40 registration fee for this 2-day float on Hatchet Creek in Coosa County includes a Hatchet Creek Festival 14 APRIL 2015

t-shirt, shuttle service, campgrounds with limited amenities, snacks, Saturday dinner, Sunday breakfast, music, games, fishing and more. Participants are responsible for providing their own canoe or kayak. Hatchet Creek is a beginner level run, but does have numerous shoals and a few rapids.

For information on how to register, call Beverly Bass or Tom Bass, 256-207-3353, or email hatchet.creek.festival@ gmail.com. www.alabamaliving.coop

Alabama Living

APRIL 2015  15

Home & Garden Special

American Goldfinch.

PHOTO COURTESY KAY HOME PRODUCTS

Gardening that’s for the birds

By Kristen Hannum

G

ardening with an eye to attracting birds, plus the butterflies and bees that come along with them, means gardening with a completely different mindset than we’re used to. So why do it?

The joy of creating a lively home for a wide variety of colorful, lively birds turns out to be reason enough for most gardeners. But there’s more: Gardeners report that an amazing satisfaction comes with doing something to help threatened birds. The Audubon Society and the U.S. Department of the Interior say there’s been a 70 percent decline in populations of common backyard birds since 1967. If everyone made just a corner of their yard more bird friendly, that could help turn those declines around.

“So many problems seem beyond individual action,” says Dr. Stephen Kress, vice president of bird conservation for the Audubon Society. “But we can make a difference for birds.”

The best place to start, says Dr. Kress, is in your own backyard.

It’s not difficult. Simply think in terms of being a good host, making sure that your little guests have refuge, food and water, and that you don’t accidentally poison them with pesticides or herbicides.

Bird’s eye view

A birdfeeder is a good beginning, a first hop toward seeing your property from a bird’s point of view. The busy little birds

16 APRIL 2015

at the feeders near a window are undeniably entertaining. Birdfeeders can also help wintering birds make it through the coldest days.

Birdfeeders, however, are perhaps a bit more for us than for the birds. Both Dr. Kress and George Adams, author of Gardening for the Birds, How To Create a Bird-Friendly Backyard, say it’s far better to landscape with a variety of native shrubs, trees, flowers and grasses that provide a year-round supply of food for the birds.

“Birdfeeders tend to attract the noisiest and bossiest birds, birds that attack or chase away the beautiful, small songbirds,” says Adams.

Birds’ names can be a guide to what to plant for them. Cedar waxwings love the little berries on red cedars; that is, eastern junipers. Pinyon jays will seek out piñon pines for their delicious little nuts. Yellowrumped warblers used to be called myrtle warblers because of their taste for wax myrtle berries. Adams’ book has a guide to regional plants and birds, with specific advice for different species. Your state Audubon Society can also help with specifics.

Plan a garden that will produce seeds and berries for the birds year round.

Caterpillar baby food

Native shrubs area also important because they host native insects. We’ve all become accustomed to thinking that insects need to be wiped out, but that’s completely wrong from a bird’s point of view. Cater-

pillars are the major source of protein for many nestlings, making the native plants that host caterpillars especially important for baby birds. (Not to mention butterflies!)

Those native plants are the ones that birds depend upon for food, refuge, and homemaking. Again, says Adams, the birds’ names sometimes tell you what to plant. The little cactus wren depends on cactus thorns to discourage predators from reaching its nest. Pine warblers usually build their nest in pines, binding pine needles together to make a cup-shaped nest.

When native trees aren’t available, birds are forced to live in exotic trees. That makes them and their nests more vulnerable to predators.

Birds do not thrive amidst endless acres of chemically treated lawns, which are dangerous, unprotected food deserts that provide neither food or shelter.

Location, location, location

Suitable nest boxes can be one of the simplest things you can do to increase the variety of birds on your property, although just putting out a nest box and forgetting about it isn’t helpful. Just like teenagers’ bedrooms, nest boxes need to be thoroughly cleaned out at least once a year.

Don’t choose a birdhouse by its cuteness scale. That darling Victorian may be completely wrong for the birds you’re hoping to attract. Bluebirds, for instance, need doors that are one and a half inches in diameter.

That discourages larger birds, namely agwww.alabamaliving.coop

gressive starlings, from moving in and taking over.

Another feature to look for in a birdhouse is a hinged roof. Once you’ve tried to clean out a birdhouse that doesn’t have a hinged roof, you’ll find yourself a convert to that type.

Dr. Kress says that just as in the human real estate market, location is key to successful birdhouses. For bluebirds, that means out in open habitat, so that pushy little house sparrows don’t take it over.

Gardeners in rural areas, like so many of Alabama Living’s readers, are especially well equipped to help birds because so many of them also favor rural life.

Nestwatch.org gives great advice on birdhouses, and the Audubon Birdhouse Book: Building, Placing, and Maintaining Great Homes for Great Birds is another excellent resource.

Bird-size puddles

Birdbaths really are for bathing. Cleanliness is key to staying warm, cooling off and flying right if you’re a bird. A birdbath is an easy and often beautiful addition to the garden. Buy a pedestal type and put it near protective shrubbery to keep the birds safer from cats. Birdbaths are especially important in arid areas, but even if you live near a lake a puddle-sized birdbath will attract visitors. “Puddles are more their size,” Dr. Kress says.

Water with a dripping action is especially popular.

Adams urges gardeners to take on the difficult challenge of providing thawed water for birds in the winter. Winter sun may do the trick, but he advises going for guaranteed results by installing a stock tank de-icer or heating element especially designed for birdbaths.

The magic of doing good

Keeping fresh water in birdbaths and putting in native plants may sound like work, but it’s satisfying work.

“I know a lot of people who started out with sterile backyards and transformed them into great bird habitats,” says Dr. Kress. “They talk about how much fun it is.”

One of Adams’ readers reported how easy it was to change their boring backyard into a bird haven. “The result was almost CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT: American Goldfinches. PHOTO COURTESY KAY HOME PRODUCTS; magical,” that gardener wrote in a review Northern Cardinal male. PHOTO COURTESY KAY HOME PRODUCTS; Eastern Bluebirds. BY LAURA on Amazon. “The more things I planted HATHCOCK/COURTESY CORNELL LAB OF ORNITHOLOGY; Ruby-throated Hummingbird. PHOTO COURTESY KAY HOME PRODUCTS; Carolina Wren. BY LAURA FRAZIER/COURTESY CORNELL LAB OF the more birds showed up.” A ORNITHOLOGY; Downy Woodpecker. PHOTO COURTESY KAY HOME PRODUCTS.

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Alabama Living

APRIL 2015  19

Home & Garden Special

The Fearless Gardener’s Guide to décor

By Kristen Hannum

W

e’ve all seen scary garden décor. Moldy naked concrete statuary, gnomes caught in private acts, random junk painted in neon colors. We’ve also smiled as a friend sneered over a piece of garden décor— say, the face of a Green Man in a tree or a life-size ostrich cleverly made of twisted wire—that we actually sorta liked.

Liked a lot, actually.

And we worry that it’s a slippery slope, that our graceful bronze crane standing amidst the hostas might, in a few years, multiply into a backyard where it’s hard to see the Kniphofia through the kitsch.

Or worse, a front yard in that condition.

Here then, is a brief guide to garden décor and how to fearlessly add a few eccentric or classic touches to your garden. We begin with the four great truths of garden décor: 1. Trust your taste.

2. Find inspiration everywhere.

3. Don’t let your garden décor overwhelm your garden.

4. Refresh and cull your garden décor so it can work its magic.

20 APRIL 2015

Trust your taste

Garden décor and art have nothing to do with snooty art critics. It’s rather about whether a fountain, sculpture, mural or that quirky little wooden hedgehog in the pansies makes your heart smile. If it brings you joy, it’s right.

It may even be art.

“Some people might think they’re kitschy, but I don’t care,” says longtime gardener Tracy Johnson about the metal woodpecker on a tree outside her kitchen window and other salvage metal pieces. “I love them.”

Think of garden décor as an opportunity to build your confidence in your own personal style. Just because a critical friend doesn’t like your Buddha statue or your giraffe theme doesn’t mean it’s not exactly right for your garden. It’s just not right for hers.

That said, if you’ve got qualms, trust them too. Put the piece (or pieces) in question in the backyard instead of out front. And if it turns out that the planter you repurposed from a wrought iron bed makes you feel annoyed or

self-conscious rather than joyful, make it the star of your next yard sale.

Find inspiration everywhere.

Don’t just flip the magazine page past that brightly painted wooden chair that makes your heart flutter. Tear it out and add it to your inspiration collection. Do you love your neighbor’s idea of using an old bed’s headboard for a gate? She doesn’t have a patent on it; tell her you love it so much you’re looking for a headboard of your own.

Begin a scrapbook or Pinterest board with ideas and inspirations. Even if you never find that perfect headboard or get around to painting a chair for your own porch, collecting ideas is fun and it gives you a better understanding of your own style.

Your scrapbook, either on Pinterest or on paper, will probably reveal a pattern in what you love. That’s your style. Whether it’s mostly whimsical, formal, Southwestern or English cottage, you can use it to give your garden a theme that will hold it together. www.alabamaliving.coop

Don’t let your garden décor overwhelm your garden.

Dale Chihuly’s “Perennial Fiori” glass art, left, and below, at the Denver Botanical Gardens, opened a new window on how garden décor could be true art.

PHOTOS COURTESY DENVER BOTANIC GARDENS

More readily available for your yard are, clockwise, a wagon filled with potted plants, a whimsical “shovel man,” a raven fountain, rising sun plaque and a metal rooster. Bottom right, a gargoyle presides over a fern garden.

PHOTOS COURTESY TRACEY DELFEL JOHNSON AND SPI HOME

Alabama Living

Garden décor, whether humorous or classic, gives our gardens distinction, just as the décor inside our homes does. Don’t let it become clutter. Just about every town has an example of garden décor gone overboard. Use that as a touchstone for what’s too much. Think of that house crowded round by so many concrete fountains and statues that it looks like a display yard for a store. In fact, maybe it is a display yard for a store.

Garden décor should please the eye with its beauty or be a whimsical surprise. It shouldn’t overpower its surroundings.

That doesn’t mean you need to forgo collections of objects—colorful birdhouses on newel posts, displayed tools on a shed wall or galoshes filled with flowers on the fence all can be pleasing in an artful arrangement.

Refresh and cull your garden décor so it can work its magic.

This last pointer is actually a strategy for achieving the first three goals. Your tastes evolve just as you do, and your garden is the perfect place to live out those changes and grow your style.

Do your best to see your garden with an artist’s or photographer’s eye. Infuse yourself with some of those ideas from your inspiration scrapbook, slow down and then take a look at your garden as if for the first time. What do you want to rearrange?

What needs to be cleaned? What simply needs to go? Would a birdbath please you more than the sundial?

Then get to work. You’re creating a unique sense of place, a garden that will be like an outdoor room with your own personal style. No one can do it better. A

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Alabama Living

APRIL 2015  23

Home & Garden Special

Garden Anywhere: Small spaces make beautiful places

By Katie Jackson

F

rom Baby Boomers who are downsizing their lives to Millennials who have yet to upsize theirs, more and more people are living in small spaces, which often translates into less and less space for traditional gardening. But you don’t have to have a yard to be a gardener. You just need sunshine, water, a good soil mixture and a little ingenuity.

While we typically think of gardens as outdoor spaces, the term “garden” refers to any space where plants and nature are shown, grown and enjoyed, including tabletops, rooftops, driveways, walkways, alleyways, parking lots, highway median strips, balconies, walls, windowsills … you get the picture.

Houseplants are, of course, the easiest way to bring something green and growing into your life and there are oodles of beautiful tried-and-true options to fit any décor, lighting and indoor climate condition and level of gardening skill. Or tap into the latest everything-old-is-new-again trend: terrariums of all shapes and sizes!

But why stop there? Many ornamental landscape plants can also be grown in containers (pots) and, thus, grown successfully inside or in small outdoor areas. Azaleas, roses, gardenias, vibur-

24 APRIL 2015

nums, aucubas, hollies and jasmine are just a few of the common landscape plants that do well in pots. Bulbs and other herbaceous perennials and annuals also can be tucked into pots or planted in small patches of open ground such as along the edges of driveways or walkways, in medians or around mailboxes.

Truth is it’s easy to find a plant to fit almost any environmental condition and space as long as you can provide them with a good quality growing media, protection from extreme temperatures and the right amount of sunlight and water. Ingenuity comes into play when you’re trying to adapt to the design needs of your small space, but there are lots of options for that as well.

For example, raised beds and tiered planters can be installed almost anywhere, from the rooftops of apartment buildings and houses (and I even saw a dog house with a garden on top) to balconies, patios or concrete driveways. Not only do raised beds make gardening easier on your back (less bending and stooping required), they also allow you to create your own soil rather than relying on the quality of existing soil, thus providing your plants with the very best of growing conditions.

If you have only a tiny corner or a wall area to use for plants, consider growing things vertically

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— espaliers, trellises, arbors, plant towers or frames built against fruit trees and shrubs can be grown in pots or espaliered against a wall can take your gardening to new heights and planes. a wall. Gourds, grapes, blackberries and other climbing plants Need to move your garden around? You can buy plant sau- can be grown on a trellis. And all sorts of herbs can be grown cers on wheels, fill a child’s wagon with potted plants or put in pots indoors or out. wheels on old garbage cans, buckets, boxes and other interesting If you need ideas for your small space try a Pinterest or a planting containers.

Web search. The opWant a more whimtions found there sical garden? Use an are so plentiful they old birdbath filled may overwhelm you. with potting mixIf you want some ture to create a little detailed professional raised garden or use advice on how best a sealed pot or founto maximize your tain to make a water garden space, check garden. Want someout the books Square thing that requires Foot Gardening: The less water? Create Revolutionary Way a rock garden filled to Grow More In Less with cacti and sucSpace by Mel Barculents. tholomew or ApartIf you’re craving ment Gardening: freshly grown fruits Plants, Projects, and and vegetables, don’t Raised beds can be installed anywhere, as long as you’ve got the right growing conditions.

Recipes for Growdespair! You can grow many of these as well in small spaces. The ing Food in Your Urban Home by Amy Pennington. Your local same raised beds and containers used for ornamental plants can county Alabama Cooperative Extension System office and plant become home to everything from tomatoes to corn to squash. nurseries are also great sources of information.

Hanging baskets make great pots for strawberries and peppers.

One way or another, you can make space in your life for plants Lettuces and other greens will grow beautifully in pots. Many and keep your gardening going no matter where you live. A

26 APRIL 2015

Alabama Living

APRIL 2015  27

Home & Garden Special

Ladybugs are beneficial most of the time

By Emmett Burnett

“Cute as a bug’s ear” is an odd saying, because insects have no ears, per se. And bugs aren’t cute, except for ladybugs.

In fact, little red riding beetle is one of few insects we love.

People bomb flies with insecticide, run for their lives from spiders, and will blast cockroaches with a cannon. But the ladybug is revered because it’s beneficial, most of the time. That’s right, I said most of the time, because this polka-dotted cutie has a dark side.

“They can’t stand cold weather,” says Charles H. Ray, Ph.D., an entomologist at Auburn University. “Ladybugs seek warmth in winter, and that warmth can be your house” - hence the expression, “Snug as a bug in a rug.” But snug can become “ugh.”

“Problems occur when large numbers invade the home,” added the Auburn professor. “When disturbed, frightened, or agitated, ladybugs secrete a foul smelling liquid from their legs. It smells pretty bad, especially in closed quarters.”

Think of tiny six-legged skunks in your living room. But wait, there’s more.

“The worst ladybug infestation case I ever experienced was in Anniston,” Ray recalled. “It was so bad, the homeowner couldn’t sleep.” And with good reason: He kept waking during the night with ladybugs crawling in his ears, nose, and mouth. “I suggested he vacuum the ladybugs for removal. Unfortunately, he had burned up three vacuum cleaner motors trying to do just that.”

The Anniston situation was an extreme case. Usually a few ladybugs meander where not wanted, but a full-scale siege is rare.

Their good outweighs the bad.

“Ladybugs eat aphids and other garden pests,” noted Mallory J. Kelley, regional Extension agent with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System in Wetumpka. “They are beneficial in gardens and prefer the outdoors.” Actually, if the wayward scarlet beetle can’t find a way back outdoors, it will starve to death.

“There is no food source inside,” Mallory says. “Their survival 28 APRIL 2015

depends on getting out of your house.” Of course it’s best if ladybugs never gain entry. “Seal any cracks and crevices in your home, including windowsills and underneath doors.”

And don’t panic; it’s not an invasion. Though you may see dozens, even hundreds, ladybugs are solitary nomads and do not communicate with each other like ants, bees, or termites. Nor do they bite, sting, carry disease, or eat your food.

But here are some things that may bug you: “Ladybugs are attracted to the color white,” Kelley says. White windowsills and baseboards, white carpeting, white countertops, anything white, transforms your home into a ladybug bungalow.

Ironically, the insect attracted to vanilla-boring white is one of the most colorful creatures in critter land. But ladybug beauty is more than a fashion statement. Good looks save its life.

The combination of vivid reds with black spot patterns is nature’s barcode warning label. “The colors send a message to predators, ‘Tastes bad! Danger! Stay away!

Poison!’” Ray says. Combine that with a hard, difficult to swallow shell, and ladybugs have limited enemies other than other insects, some birds, tree frogs and the vacuum cleaner.

Of the 5,000 worldwide ladybug types, two prevail in Alabama: the multi-colored (from Asia) and seven-spotted (Europe).

These two little guys have almost eliminated Alabama’s native species. And though they prefer a banquet of aphids and scale bugs, when primary food sources diminish, some ladybugs will munch crops but seldom do significant damage.

Life isn’t easy for a boy named “Lady.” But the moniker applies to both sexes, which is good, as male or female is distinguishable only by scientists, microscopes or ladybugs in love. Tip: The ones laying 10 to 15 eggs daily during springtime/summer are female.

But life is good for ladybugs. Though no firm population numbers exist, according to Auburn University, only our native species are endangered. The import models are doing just fine. The scarlet insect is a token of good luck in Asia and a garden asset in Alabama. We are graced by ladybugs. A www.alabamaliving.coop

Around Alabama APRIL 2-4, 7-9 • Attalla, Tigers for Tomorrow 2015 Spring Break Tours at Untamed Mountain. This year’s tour showcases the four color variations of tigers: gold, tabby, royal white and snow.

One tour a day begins at 1:30 p.m. Admission: $15 adult and $10 children. Information: 256-524-4150 or www.tigersfortomorrow.org.

10-11 • Dothan, 19th Annual Spring Plant Sale at the Dothan Area Botanical Gardens.

Friday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Saturday, 9 a.m.-2p.m.

Admission is free. Contact: Cheryl Hatcher at jhatcher@graceba.net or 334-798-1034.

10-11 • Dothan, 10th Annual Tri-State BBQ Festival at the Houston County Farm Center. Friday 5-10 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Adults $10, children 6 and under free. For information, band schedules and details call 334-699-1475. Www.TriStateBBQ.com.

11 • Columbia, Columbia Historical Society’s 2015 Walk in History. Columbia City Cemetery, 5-7 p.m. Admission: $10 adults, schoolage children and younger are free. www. columbiahistoricalsocietyofalabama.org.

11 • Fredonia, 65th Annual Fredonia Barbecue.

Community Clubhouse on Chambers County Road 222, near the crossroad at Chambers County Road 267. Tickets are $9. Event begins at 5 p.m. and food served through 8 p.m. For ticket sales or directions, call JJ Frickert at 334-499-0115.

11 • LaFayette, 18th Annual LaFayette Day for Valley Haven School. On the Square, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Free admission. Contact: Craig Brown, 334-756-2868 or Lynn Oliver 334-219-1890.

11 • Pinson, Pinson Bicentennial Celebration at Rock School Center, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Exhibits will focus on Native-American, African-American, and EuropeanAmerican inhabitants in the early years of the 19th century. Free admission. www.thecityofpinson.com.

11 • Greenville, Healthy Kids for Kids 3rd Annual 5K/10K Run to raise awareness in the fight against child abuse. The theme is superheroes and costumes are encouraged. Registration is from 7-8:30 a.m. with races beginning at 8:30. Contact: Susan Lowman, 334-371-2104 or slowman.healthykidsal@gmail.com.

11-12 • Enterprise, Piney Woods Arts Festival at Enterprise State Community College. Saturday, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, 12-4 p.m. Free admission. www.CoffeeCountyArtsAlliance.com.

11-12 • Ft. Deposit, 44th Annual Calico Arts and Crafts Fair. Hosting approximately 150 quality exhibitors, continuous entertainment, kids petting zoo and food vendors. Admission charged. www.calicofort.com.

11-12 • Loxley, 28th Annual Baldwin County Strawberry Festival at Loxley Municipal Park, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Car shows, pageant, music, crafts and strawberry shortcakes. www. baldwincountystrawberryfestival.org.

11-12 • Hartselle, Tennessee Valley Farm Tour, 2-6 p.m. each day. A self-guided tour of small farms in the Tennessee Valley. $25 for a map and directions to participating farms. Proceeds go to local farmers. Information: Karen Wayne, 256520-2400. www.rositasfarm.com/farmtour.

17 • Fairhope, “Under the Stars” fundraiser for CARE House, 6:30 p.m. Features food, music, dancing, drinks, silent and live auctions at Oak Hollow Farm. Tickets $50 per person. CARE House provides resources and services to child victims of abuse in Baldwin County. www.bccarehouse.org 18 • Furman, Spring Pilgrimage, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Homes, churches and historical sites in the towns of Furman and Snow Hill. Admission is $20 adults, $10 students and children 6 and under are free. Contact: Don Donald, 334-6829825 or email grsouth@frontiernet.net.

18 • Wetumpka, 3rd Annual Craterfest at Gold Star Park, 2-7 p.m. The festival features music, entertainment, arts and crafts, food, and educational crater activities. www. wetumpkachamber.com/craterfest.

18 • Fairhope, Bald Eagle Bash at Tonsmeire Weeks Bay Resource Center, 4-7 p.m. Enjoy a “Taste of Weeks Bay” with live music by The Modern Eldorados. Tickets: $40 advance, $45 at the gate (beverages included with admission).

Call 251-990-5004. www.BaldEagleBash.com.

18 • Montgomery, 14th Annual Walk of Life 5K and Mighty Kids Dash to benefit the Joy to Life Foundation. $25 5K pre-registration fee (ages 6 and up); $10 kids dash (ages 3-8 only). Contact and registration: www. walkoflife2015.org or 334-284-5433.

18-19 • Guntersville, 54th Annual Art on the Lake at the Guntersville Recreation Center, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. More than 125 exhibitors with food, fun and entertainment for the whole family. $2 admission, children 12 and under are free. www.artonthelake-guntersville.com.

23-26 • Selma, Battle of Selma at Battlefield Park.

The 1860s come alive with hands-on instruction and period music in the living history school tours.

The Battle of Selma and Grand Military Ball is held on Saturday and the 150th Battle of Selma Re-enactment on Sunday. www.battleofselma.com.

25 • Arab, “Back When Day” at Arab Historic Village, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. The Historic Village celebrates the daily life of Arab as a young rural farm town in the 1920s and ‘30s. Admission is free.

Information: call 256-586-6397 or 256-550-0290.

MAY 2 • Decatur, Colors for Christ Motorcycle Rally at the Point Mallard Expo Pavilion. Featuring a bike show, bike games, music, silent auction and a ride supporting the Wounded Warrior Project. www.colorsforchrist.org.

2 • Union Springs, 36th Annual Chunnenuggee Fair in downtown Union Springs. Fine arts and crafts, fresh food, live entertainment, games and rides. Vendors call Elizabeth Smithart at 334738-8683 or email esmithart@yahoo.com.

2 • Valley, 39th Annual Hike/Bike/Run at Valley Haven School. Registration starts at 7 a.m. EDT, events start at 8 a.m. EDT. Events include a 1 or 5-mile hike, 10 or 20-mile bike ride, and a one-mile, 5K or 10.5K run. Contact: Tony Edmondson at Valley Haven School, 334756-7801 or email valleyhaven@vhsarc.org.

To place an event, e-mail events@alabamaliving.coop. or visit www.alabamaliving.coop. You can also mail to Events Calendar, P.O. Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124; Each submission must include a contact name and phone number. Deadline is two months prior to issue date. We regret that we cannot publish every event due to space limitations.

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APRIL 2015 29

Alabama Gardens

‘Listing into Summer’ Developing a gardening to-do list

T

his time of year, as the number of gardening chores and opportunities increases with the temperatures, trying to keep up with all the garden projects we want and need to tackle can be difficult. But there is a special, almost magical, gardening tool that always comes to my rescue: the gardening to-do list.

For me, a to-do list helps weed through the clutter and, when I get to check things off as complete, offers me such a sense of satisfaction.

And though I firmly believe that listmaking should be a personal endeavor, sometimes it helps to have examples as starting points, so here’s a glimpse at how I “organize” my to-do lists—and a glimpse into how list-obsessed I am.

I begin my listing process in January by developing an annual garden manifesto that chronicles all the things I’d LIKE to accomplish in the coming year (which is not to say I WILL accomplish them). I also keep a short, cryptic month-to-month list that reminds me of the major things I need to focus on each month. For example, January is my “Plan and Prune” month, April is “Plant and Fertilize” month and November is my month to “Winterize and Organize.”

I post both the manifesto and month-to-month list near my desk as

Katie Jackson is a freelance writer and editor based in Opelika, Alabama.

Contact her at katielamarjackson@ gmail.com.

30 APRIL 2015

constant reminders of what’s coming up and I also keep copies of each in a spiral-bound notebook (I still like to hold paper in my hand, though more techsavvy folks might do this on a computer) and use that notebook to make and keep more lists—yes, MORE lists.

Among those additional lists is a masterlist of all the typical garden chores that might occur in any month, which I divide into five categories: Prepare, Plant, Maintain, Monitor and Enjoy. Not a very clever list, but one I can use throughout the year to develop my monthly plans. Here’s my philosophy behind each category: Prepare. I list all the things I need to do before I get started with a project or chore such as work and enhance the soil, get equipment and tools ready for use or select and buy plants, seeds or other supplies.

Plant. This category includes a list of all the things I want to plant during the year including fruits, vegetables and ornamentals, and a list of general planting dates for each of them.

Maintain. Here I keep a list of all the chores that are likely to be necessary in the coming month—water, mow, prune, mulch, weed, deadhead and the like.

Monitor. In this category I list all the things I need to keep an eye out for during each month—bugs, weeds, disease, nutrient deficiencies, new growth, ripening fruits and vegetables, etc.

Enjoy. This is actually my favorite category. It’s where I list ways to enjoy the garden more, including events I may want to attend, the dates of full moons (I love looking at the garden in moonlight), names of books or publications I may want to read and all the

things I should appreciate each season in the garden such as birds, blooms, changes in weather, etc. A

April Gardening Tips d Clean out garden

sheds and storage areas. d Begin to mow lawns regularly as needed. d Sod new lawn areas. d Plant summer and fall-blooming bulbs, summer annuals and bedding plants. d Plant berries (strawberries, blackberries and raspberries). d Start seed for heatloving vegetable crops such as beans, corn and melons. d Transplant tomatoes, peppers, eggplants and sweet potatoes into the garden. d Get a copy of the Alabama Cooperative Extension System publication “Planting Guide for Home Gardening in Alabama” to help determine planting dates for summer fruits and vegetables. d Keep track of rainfall amounts to determine the moisture needs of your plants. d Feed the birds. d Celebrate Earth Day (April 22) and National Arbor Day (April 24).

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Alabama Living

APRIL 2015  31

Worth the Drive

Delectable dining at the home of the West Indies Salad

By Jennifer Kornegay

O

ne of the main draws of a beach “My wife and I would go out and eat ad plenty of places, it’s not quite the same. trip (at least for me) is the ac- seafood, and I’d bite into a fried shrimp Bill explained why. cess to an abundance of fabulous and get nothing but the batter, and I “The key is using cider vinegar. You fresh seafood. And the saltwater species I thought, ‘I could do better than this,’” he can’t use white vinegar,” he said. “And you enjoy most is crab. Buttery sautéed crab said. So he did. “I decided to re-open the have to put the oil in first, then the vinegar, claws, fried soft-shell crab, crisp-tender place. That was 20-something years ago.” otherwise the oil all goes to the top.”

Just-caught crabmeat from the Gulf is crab cakes, herb-laden crab stuffing piled He stuck with what had worked before, on top of a blackened fish filet: They’re all adding a few items, but keeping most of another essential ingredient, and that’s all respectable options. the classics, including West Indies Salad. Bayley’s ever uses. “I never use frozen crab But the best way to eat this sideways- “It knew we had to keep that, and boy, we or crab that came from somewhere else,” Bill said. skittering crustacean is in a uniquely Ala- sell a lot of it,” he said.

Sometimes, this can prove bama dish, the West Indies problematic. “If I can’t get it, Salad. It’s basically a bowl of I don’t serve crab,” he said. “I crabmeat, lightly embellished had some folks walk about the with vinegar, onion and oil. other night because we couldn’t Only in this unadulterated get crab due to the weather.” preparation can you truly West Indies Salad is defitaste the crab’s delicate sweetnitely Bayley’s signature dish, ness and appreciate its silken but it’s not the only thing texture. And only at Bayley’s worth eating there. In the Seafood Restaurant in Theo1960s, Bill Sr. came up with dore can you eat the original and served his lucky customincarnation of this treat that’s ers another first: fried crab become an icon of coastal claws. Today, they are Bayley’s cuisine. bestseller. Other crab creations Bayley’s is a humble spot, Bayley’s West Indies Salad: The key ingredient is cider vinegar. Freshinclude the crab omelet, baked a low ceilinged, tiled-wall caught Gulf Crab is, of course, essential. PHOTO BY JENNIFER KORNEGAY crab and crabmeat au gratin. seafood restaurant of the Not so crazy about crab? Go for the old school that puts the bulk of its attenHe shared how the now-famous dish tion and energy into its food. Bill Bayley made it onto Bayley’s menu. “It was back fried oysters. Wearing a scant coat of seaSr. opened the first version of Bayley’s in in the ‘40s. Dad just whipped some up soned cornmeal, each bite delivers a burst 1947, but closed it in the early 1980s. His one day and brought it out to a customer, of briny deliciousness.

Or you could opt for fish. “We sell a lot son, Bill Jr., who had no desire to be in the a dentist from Mobile, for him to try,” Bill restaurant business, was working in the said. “He loved it and told dad to put it on of flounder, but we only do it whole, no construction industry at the time. the menu. Now, you can get it other places, filets, and we do a whole flounder stuffed with our crabmeat stuffing that’s pretty but it’s not like ours.”

Jennifer Kornegay unique and something my dad taught me His dad never hid the recipe.

He even travels to an out-ofgave it to the local Junior League, and they how to make,” he said. “And we do fresh the way restaurant destination in Alabama published it in their cookbook. But Bill Jr. mullet too, but those are the only two fish every month. She is right. While you can get West Indies Sal- we do.” may be reached for comment at Next time you’re near the beach, make j_kornegay@charter. net. Check out more your way over to Bayley’s, an institution of Jennifer’s food of good eats in our state. And order the writing, recipes and Bayley’s Seafood Restaurant recommendations West Indies Salad, an Alabama original 10805 Dauphin Island Pkwy on her blog, Chew that’s still done best at the place that did Theodore, AL on This at www.

Theodore jenniferkornegay.com.

(251) 973-1572 it first. A 32 APRIL 2015

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Alabama Living

APRIL 2015  33

Montgomery Youth Tour, sponsored by your local electric cooperative and the Alabama Rural Electric Association, is part of a grassroots program to educate high school juniors on the electric cooperative program and the cooperative ideas for which it stands.

Representative Mac McCutcheon discusses issues with the youth tour delegates at the State House.

Selected students, who participate in local competitions at their electric cooperative, are invited to travel to Montgomery in March, where they join more than 140 other high school juniors representing electric cooperatives all over the state of Alabama.

These students have the opportunity to take part in educational ac tivities, such as Q&A sessions with representatives about topics that interest them and their respective cooperatives.

They also tour sites of historical interest, such as the Civil Rights Memorial, the state Capitol, Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, the Alabama Voices exhibit at the Alabama Department of Archives and History and the State Judicial Building.

They even spend some time rubbing elbows with state lawmakers.

A d d i t i o n a l l y, the trip includes a dinner dance and cosmic bowling, where students h ave a c h a n ce to get to know representatives from other cooperatives.

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Alabama Living

APRIL 2015 35

Forty-six students from Alabama travel to Washington, D.C., for the all-expenses paid, weeklong tour, joining more than 1,600 students from states across the nation. The tour is jam-packed with fun-filled activities and visits to America’s most popular and historic places. Stops along the way include the U.S. Capitol, the Korean and Vietnam war memorials, the Kennedy Center, Arlington Cemetery, the Lincoln Memorial and the Smithsonian, among countless other museums and areas of interest.

Jo Bonner, vice chancellor for the University of Alabama system, engages the Youth Tour participants in the importance of politics and staying involved.

Af t e r M o n t g o m e r y Yo u t h To u r, s t u d e n t delegates have the opportunity to interview for the chance of a lifetime -- to attend the Washington Youth Tour, which is June 12-18.

[ Senator Clyde Chambliss meeting with delegates.

Rep. Elaine Beech and Rep. Alan Baker answer students’ questions at the State House.

36 APRIL 2015

]

For more information about Alabama Youth Tours, please contact your local electric cooperative or Mary Tyler Spivey, Youth Tour Director at mspivey@areapower.com.

The purpose of the Alabama Youth Tour and the National Rural Electric Youth Tour is simple: To help students develop a greater understanding about their electric cooperative and its leadership role in their community. The event also allows delegates to make new friends from across the state, who share their pride in their local communities.

This is a unique opportunity to educate the leaders of tomorrow about electric cooperative ideas and the workings of state government.

Cea Cohen-Elliot challenges the delegates to make a difference in this world.

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Alabama Living

APRIL 2015  37

Home & Garden Special

Before you jump in, know the basics of walk-in tubs

By Carole Howell

A

long hot bath and water jet massage with less risk of falling sounds like a dream come true. A walk-in tub system that allows easy entry and exit, along with therapeutic jets, can be the best solution when traditional bathing is difficult. They’re designed for individuals with limited mobility, arthritis or chronic pain, or for anyone who wants a spa-like experience in a limited space.

A walk-in tub is simply a taller-than-average bathtub with a low step. To use a walk-in tub, a person enters and shuts the door behind them. They then fill the tub, which takes several minutes. After bathing, the person remains in the tub while the water drains. The door will not open as long as there is water in the tub.

Walk-in tubs come in a variety of styles and sizes. Special options include various types and upgrades of the water jet massage and quick fill and drain. Specialized tubs, such as bariatric tubs for larger individuals, and wheelchair accessible tubs, are available.

To find out if a walk-in tub is the right fit for you, educate yourself before you take the plunge.

THE COST: Total costs with installation can easily exceed $10,000, and Medicare and Medicaid do not cover the cost except under very special circumstances. Your health insurance may or may not cover any part of the cost, so check your policy first.

THE INSTALLATION: Professional installation is highly recommended, and most full service installers offer a complimentary home visit to help you determine what you’ll need for the tub’s intended purpose.

A licensed contractor should be able to manage every aspect of the installation including demolition and reconstruction, and sub-contract for additional electrical or plumbing needs.

“To select a walk-in-tub franchise or a contractor, we encourage people to research the company online,” said Elizabeth Garcia, president of the North Alabama Better Business Bureau (BBB). “The BBB website also allows searches by zip code to help find a contractor and read consumer reviews. Get three estimates, and ask the company for two or three local references.”

THE CONTRACT: Garcia advises buyers to get an itemized list of the costs, additional charges, shipping, installation, and return policies. Also, make sure that you have all the guarantees and warranties in writing so that you know beforehand how you will address prob38 APRIL 2015

lems and who will do the repairs. She adds that in Alabama, building and remodeling jobs of $10,000 or more require building permits and inspections.

Also make sure that the contract specifies the payment schedule. “Be suspicious if you’re asked to pay everything in advance,” said Garcia. “As protection, add a lien release clause so that subcontractors cannot seek payment from you if the contractor fails to pay them.”

IS A WALK-IN TUB RIGHT FOR YOU? David Lisenby, president of Lisenby Construction, Inc. of Montgomery, is a Certified Aging in Place specialist and a Certified Graduate Remodeler. He says he talks to many people who are thinking of retrofitting their bathrooms or installing a walk-in tub during new construction.

“While these tubs can be great for people who need them for therapy, they’re not recommended for people with dementia, especially if they’re unsupervised,” said Lisenby. “And they don’t work really well as a shower. The water tends to get out around the curtain, causing a wet floor and a slipping hazard.”

As an alternative that’s more versatile and less expensive, he often recommends replacing a traditional tub and shower with a low-threshold, full size shower with grab bars. A removable shower chair, along with a handheld showerhead should be all you need for safe bathing. When others want to use the shower, simply remove the chair.

The features and upgrades you choose simply depend on your needs and budget, and thousands of people have been pleased with their decision install a walk-in tub. The choice is yours.

Do your homework before you buy, so you can truly relax as you soak. A www.alabamaliving.coop

Alabama Living

APRIL 2015  39

Alabama Outdoors

Abundant small scrappers, a.k.a. ‘panfish,’ offer big action

By John N. Felsher

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ractically all anglers start their catch more than a dozen panfish species in record with a 1.75-pound fish that came piscatorial pursuits by tempting Alabama, most people simply lump them from a small farm pond. panfish, and for good reason. Just all together as “perch” or “bream.”

Commonly called shellcrackers because about anyone can catch these abundant “The Tennessee River lakes offer great they relish snails, redear sunfish look simand widespread, if diminutive, scrappers. panfish action,” Darr says. “The Tombig- ilar to bluegills, but with orange to red “Panfish are very common throughout bee River around Demopolis is also a very highlights on their “ear flaps.” ShellcrackAlabama,” explains Doug Darr with the good area for panfish. Lake Eufaula is an- ers occur throughout the state, but thrive Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries other really good bream lake. The Little in southern Alabama, particularly in the Division. “Our 23 state public fishing lakes River, Tallapoosa River and Coosa River Mobile-Tensas Delta. Jeff Lashley caught (www.outdooralabama.com/fishing/fresh- can also provide good bream action.” the state record, a 4.25-pounder, while Among the most common and wide- fishing a park pond. water/where/lakes) are stocked with bass, bluegill, redear sunfish and channel “In south Alabama, redear catfish. They offer some of the finsunfish begin bedding in March, est bream fishing in the country.” but fishing usually peaks in May,” Fishing for panfish, from the Darr says. “If we get a couple bank, dock or a boat, offers an exwarmer days in a row in the cellent way to teach children, and spring, bream start moving into novice adults, about the outdoors. the shallows.”

To start fishing for panfish, anglers As water warms in the spring, don’t need much complex, expenpanfish head shallow to lay eggs sive gear. Many people use cane in nests. In a good spawning flat, poles without reels. Add a few anglers can spot these nests, dark hooks, bobbers and some bait to depressions fanned into the botthe list and start fishing. tom. Highly prolific panfish may Thread a worm or cricket onto a breed several times from March hook dangling under a bobber and through October and frequently drop it next to a stump, fallen tree, return to the same beds every grass bed or other cover. Wait for year. the bobber to disappear under the In many bedding areas, several Savannah McKinney shows off a panfish she caught while fishing water. Then, watch the expression off a dock. PHOTO BY JOHN N. FELSHER hundred bream may congregate, on the child’s face as it goes down making such places great spots to and the youngster sets the hook on a fat spread panfish, bluegills occur throughout fish. Anglers can tempt panfish with many bluegill. Pound for pound, or more appro- Alabama. They derive their name from the baits including worms, crickets, grasshoppriately ounce for ounce, few fish outfight navy blue “ear flap” near their gills. Slow pers, bread, crawfish and other morsels. panfish, so called because they fit nicely in rivers, farm ponds or lakes with abundant For those who prefer artificial lures, a a frying pan and taste great. vegetation offer excellent places to look beetle spinner or a small jig make excelIn just about every freshwater system in for bluegills. A bluegill can weigh nearly lent enticements.

Alabama, anglers can find enough delicious five pounds, but few exceed one pound.

For the ultimate fun, try a fly rod. Bluepanfish to make a meal. While anglers may T.S. Hudson landed the state record, a gills and other panfish readily strike flies, 4.75-pounder, while fishing Ketona Lake streamers and nymphs, but small floating John N. Felsher is near Birmingham. “popping bugs” make deadly topwater a freelance writer and photographer One of the most distinctive panfish, a temptations. Some better surface enticewho now lives in warmouth looks similar to a bluegill in ments include foam or cork creations that Semmes, Ala. He color, but with the shape and mouth of a resemble tiny frogs, crickets, grasshoppers, co-hosts a weekly outdoors show that is bass. Also called a goggle-eye, these thick, dragonflies or other natural prey. syndicated to stations dark fish love swamps, shallow weedy Although bream anglers won’t land any in Alabama. For more on the show, log on to lakes, sluggish streams or canals with monsters, they may fill limits with great www.gdomag.com. thick vegetation. A warmouth may weigh tasting fish in just about any Alabama waContact him through his website at www. more than two pounds, but few reach one ters. This spring, think small for really big JohnNFelsher.com pound. Jimmy A. Barfield set the state action. A 40 APRIL 2015

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Got an outdoor/hunting product or offer a service that people need to know about? If so, this space is where you should be advertising.

Tables indicate peak fish and game feeding and migration times. Major periods can bracket the peak by an hour before and an hour after. Minor peaks, half-hour before and after. Adjusted for daylight savings time. a.m. p.m.

Minor Major Minor Major

APR. 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 MAY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

04:31 05:01 -12:16 01:01 01:31 02:16 03:01 04:31 -09:01 09:16 09:46 03:31 03:46 05:07 --12:52 01:37 02:07 02:52 03:37 04:52 10:37 08:07 09:07 03:22 04:07 04:37 --12:52 01:37 02:07 02:52 03:52 05:22 07:22 08:52 09:22 02:37 03:07 03:37 04:07 04:37

Alabama Living

10:46 11:31 05:31 06:01 06:31 07:01 07:16 07:46 08:01 01:16 02:01 02:46 03:01 10:01 10:31 11:52 05:22 05:52 06:22 06:37 07:07 07:37 08:22 09:07 12:52 01:52 02:52 09:52 10:37 11:22 05:07 05:37 06:07 06:37 07:07 07:37 08:07 08:52 09:52 01:22 02:07 09:52 10:22 10:52 11:22 11:52

11:01 11:46 06:46 07:31 08:16 09:16 10:31 11:46 --12:31 02:31 03:31 04:16 10:31 11:52 06:52 07:37 08:07 08:52 09:37 10:37 11:52 --12:52 02:37 04:07 10:37 11:22 06:52 07:37 08:22 09:07 09:52 10:52 11:37 12:37 -12:37 02:52 04:07 09:52 10:37 11:22 12:07

05:01 06:01 12:01 12:46 01:31 02:01 02:46 03:46 04:46 06:01 07:16 08:16 09:01 09:46 05:01 06:22 12:07 12:37 01:07 01:37 02:22 03:07 03:52 04:52 06:07 07:37 08:52 09:52 05:07 06:07 12:07 12:37 01:22 01:52 02:37 03:07 03:52 04:37 05:22 06:37 07:52 08:52 04:52 05:37 06:22 06:52

Alabama's largest consumer publication is offering premium advertising space next to our Outdoors section But hurry because space is limited!

THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY TO REACH MORE THAN one MILLION readers every month.

Advertise with us and see WHY ALABAMA LIVING IS THE BEST READ & MOST WIDELY CIRCULATED MAGAZINE IN THE STATE OF ALABAMA. Still thinking about it?

Consider this:

97% of Alabama Living’s readers say they trust the advertising in our publication over any other source

85% of our readers have read 4 out of the last 4 issues they’ve received

48% of our readers own a garden 85% of those garden owners purchased maintenance items last year 41% own more than 3 acres of land Contact Jacob Johnson 800.410.2737 advertising@areapower.com APRIL 2015 41

Alabama Literature

ALABAMA BOOKSHELF Each month, we offer a summary of recent books that are either about Alabama people or people with Alabama ties, and/or written by Alabama authors. We also occasionally

highlight book-related events. Email submissions to bookshelf@alabamaliving.coop

The Alabama Book Festival celebrates its 10th anniversary this year on April 11.

Alabama’s largest literary event hosts more than 35 authors and exhibitors in Montgomery’s historic Old Alabama Town. The family-friendly, free event on April 11 includes book-related activities, including author readings and signings, for children and adults. Highlights of this year’s event include appearances by Alabama native Rick Bragg, whose most recent work is the biography Jerry Lee Lewis: His Own Story, and award-winning novelist Ravi Howard who will discuss his new historical novel, Driving the King.

There will also be writing workshops on creative writing, graphic (pictorial) writing and getting work published. Food vendors will be on site.

The Alabama Book Festival features writers of fiction, nonfiction, poetry, children’s and young adult books. To see a complete list of authors and exhibitors, visit www. alabamabookfestival.org

Journey to the Wilderness: War, Memory and a Southern Family’s Civil War Letters, by Frye Gaillard, NewSouth Books, Spring 2015, $23.95 On the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, author Gaillard reflects on the war, and how it’s remembered today, through the lens of letters written by his family members, two of whom were Confederate officers.

To these voices from the past, Gaillard offers a personal critique of the haunted identity of the South, one informed by his perspective as a civil rights journalist.

Southern Made Fresh: Vibrant Dishes Rooted in Homemade Flavor, by Tasia Malakasis, Oxmoor House, $24.95, March 2015 Tastemaker Malakasis, a native of Alabama, grabbed the attention of state and national media with her award-winning Belle Chevre goat cheese company based in Elkmont, and later with her first book, Tasia’s Table featured in Alabama Living December 2012. With this new work, she wanted to update the flavors she remembered from her childhood and to celebrate the South and its wonderful food. The book highlights farm-to-table cooking and simple ingredients.

42 APRIL 2015

Alabama Living

APRIL 2015  43

Market Place Miscellaneous USED PORTABLE SAWMILLS – BUY / Sell. Call Sawmill Exchange (800)4592148 or 713-sawmill. USA & Canada – www.sawmillexchange.com LUMBER FOR SALE: CIRCULAR SAW Red & White Oak, Hickory, Ash - $1.20 BFT; Heart Pine - $5.00 BFT – 5” Treated Round: One Side Flat Fence Post 8 FT Long $9.50 each - Loring White (334)782-3636 (Tallapoosa) 18X21 CARPORT $795 INSTALLED – OTHER SIZES AVAILABLE - (706) 226-2739 DIVORCE MADE EASY – UNCONTESTED, LOST, IN PRISON OR Aliens. $149.95 - 26 years experience – (417)443-6511 FINANCIAL HELP LINES FOR AL FAMILIES BANKRUPTCY ADVICE FOR FREE (877)933-1139 MORTGAGE RELIEF HELP LINE (888) 216-4173 STUDENT LOAN RELIEF LINE (888)694-8235 DEBT RELIEF NON-PROFIT LINE (888) 779-4272 Numbers provided by www.careconnectusa.org A Public Benefit Organization METAL ROOFING $1.79/LINFT – FACTORY DIRECT! 1ST QUALITY, 40yr Warranty, Energy Star rated. (price subject to change) - (706) 226-2739 WALL BEDS OF ALABAMA / SOLID WOOD & LOG FURNITURE / HANDCRAFTED AMISH CASKETS $1,599 / ALABAMA MATTRESS OUTLET – SHOWROOM Collinsville, AL – Custom Built / Factory Direct (256)490-4025, www. wallbedsofalabama.com, www. alabamamattressoutlet.com

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CANE SYRUP FOR SALE – VARIOUS Prices – Call (334)374-8299, Conecuh County

GULF SHORES RENTAL– GREAT Rates! (256)490-4025, (256)523-5154 or www.gulfshoresrentals.us

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44 APRIL 2015

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Call Steve Warren and Jamie Mogan at (251)948-1249 RE/MAX of Gulf Shores, Gulf Shores, AL 36542 LAKE WEISS WATERFRONT – 3BR / 2BA Manufactured Home – (770)4271201, bob.f.pollard@gmail.com ORANGE BEACH CONDO – 2/2, Fully Furnished – Gulf & Bayou View $171,900 – Call Destiny (251)786-5200 NICE 3 BR, 2 BATH FISHING, HUNTING & RETIREMENT HOME on river in Dallas Co. - Recently remodeled with hard wood floors &

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Musical Notes PIANOS TUNED, REPAIRED, refinished. Box 171, Coy, AL 36435.

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Alabama Living

color walls, galvanized roof, 1 framed opening, 1 walk-in door.

APRIL 2015 45

Cookies Alabama Recipes

Cook of the month: Jennifer Hallmark, Joe Wheeler EMC Mama Lander’s Tea Cakes 1 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 2 cups self-rising flour

2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt shortening in microwave in large bowl and let cool for five minutes. Mix all ingredients and roll into small balls. Roll each ball in sugar, then press the top with a fork on cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees until lightly brown on bottom. Serves 2 dozen.

Southern Pecan Cookies 2 cups of broken pecans 1 egg white

⁄ cup of brown sugar (light)

Beat egg white until frothy. Add the brown sugar and beat until egg white melts the sugar. Add pecans and stir by hand until well blended. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Drop by teaspoons on a greased cookie sheet (I use Pam spray). Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on cookie sheet before you remove them. Makes 24 to 30 cookies.

Beverly Danford, Pea River EC

Why do we eat cookies? I asked myself this question and came up with a few thoughts. Cookies are small and easy to eat. You only really need one hand. They are fairly easy to prepare and the possibilities for ingredients are endless. They are perfect to make for a quick bake sale, or just to brighten someone’s day. Preparing cookies can be a great way to spend time in the kitchen with kids. The older I get, the more I realize that spending time with my children is far more important than the “stuff ” they accumulate. At the end of every day I ask my oldest daughter what was her favorite part of the day. She most always answers when she spent time playing or talking with another person. It’s rarely about “things.” Let that serve as a reminder to get together and spend time with the ones you love. How about starting with making one of the cookie recipes in this issue? Let me know how they taste.

Mary Tyler Spivey is a graduate of Huntingdon College where she studied history and French but she also has a passion for great food.

Contact her at recipes@alabamaliving.coop.

46 APRIL 2015

Coconut Honey Bits ¾ 1 2 1 1

cup honey cup coconut tablespoons milk cube butter cup flour

2 cups Rice Krispies 1 teaspoon vanilla Maraschino cherries Additional coconut

Cook together over medium heat the honey, coconut, milk and butter. When hot, add flour. Stir until mixture leaves sides of pan. Add Rice Krispies and vanilla. Form balls. Roll in additional coconut. Make a thumbprint on top. Top with ½ of a maraschino cherry in thumbprint. Enjoy!

Lorena Wilson, Black Warrior EMC

LETTER TO THE EDITOR Loved the Pound Cake I would like to give a big shout out for the Peanut Butter Pound Cake recipe that was in this month’s issue. I made it Sunday and it was FANTABULOUS, a big hit at home and office! Keep those recipes coming!

Angela Woodruff-Swarts, Montgomery

You could win $50!

Upcoming recipe themes and deadlines are: June July August

Dad’s favorite dish Sandwiches Cool drinks

Submit

April 15 May 15 June 15

online at alabamaliving.coop email to recipes@alabamaliving.coop mail to: Recipes, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, AL 36124

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Peanut Butter Pretzel Truffles 1 cup creamy peanut butter 4 ounces cream cheese 1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup crushed pretzels 1 12-ounce package chocolate chips

Line a baking sheet or tray with waxed paper. In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine peanut butter and cream cheese. Microwave, uncovered, on high (100% power) for 30 seconds or until mixture is slightly softened, stirring once.

Stir in powdered sugar and pretzels. Shape the peanut butter mixture into 1-inch balls. Place balls on the prepared baking sheet. Cover and freeze for 15 minutes or until firm. Place chocolate chips in a microwave-safe container. Microwave at half power or defrost setting for 30 seconds. Stir thoroughly until smooth. Using a fork, dip balls into melted mixture, allowing excess to drip back into bowl. Place dipped balls back on baking sheet. Chill for 30 minutes or until firm.

Robin O’Sullivan, Wiregrass EC

Orange Slice Cookies 2 cups shortening 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar 1 cup sugar 3 eggs 3 cups all-purpose flour 1½ teaspoons baking soda 1¼ teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons water 3 cups quick cook oats, uncooked 1 3½-ounce package flaked coconut (sweet or unsweet) 1 bag (about 20 pieces) orange slice candies, finely chopped

With an electric or stand mixer, in a large mixing bowl, cream shortening. Next, gradually add both sugars beating at medium speed until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. In a large bowl, combine flour, soda, and baking powder. Slowly add by thirds to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in water and mix in oats, coconut, and orange slices. Bump up speed to medium to mix the batter just until combined. It will be really thick. Chill batter for about an hour.

Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto greased or parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 12 minutes or until browned. Dough can be refrigerated up to a week or you can freeze unused dough up to 6 months.

Summer Magnus, Dixie EC

Malted Munchies 1 cup butter (no substitutes) softened ¾ cup packed brown sugar ⁄ cup white sugar 1 egg 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2¼ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons baking cocoa 1 teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt 2 cups malted milk balls, coarsely crushed

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. With mixer, cream the butter and sugars. Beat in egg and vanilla and mix well. Combine the flour, baking cocoa, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Add crushed malted milk balls to dough and mix thoroughly, being careful not to over-mix. Shape (do not roll) into 1½-inch balls. If you roll, the cookies won’t have that nice crackly appearance. Place cookies 2 inches apart on greased baking sheets or use Silpat baking mat. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown on edges. Cool for 1 minute before removing cookies from pans to wire racks.Yields about 3 dozen.

Cyndi McConnell, Baldwin EMC Editor’s Note: Alabama Living’s recipes are submitted by our readers. They are not kitchen-tested by a professional cook or registered dietician. If you have special dietary needs, please check with your doctor or nutritionist before preparing any recipe.

Alabama Living

APRIL 2015 47

Double Chocolate Cookies 1 cup butter or margarine, softened 1 cup sugar 1 cup packed brown sugar 2 large eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2¼ cups all purpose flour ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa 1 teaspoon baking soda 1-1½ cups chopped white chocolate

Beat butter until creamy; gradually add sugars, beating well.

Add eggs, 1 at a time, and vanilla, beating until blended after each addition. Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda. Add to butter mixture until blended. Stir in chopped white chocolate. Drop by tablespoon full onto parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Cool on baking sheet for 2 minutes. Remove to wire racks and cool completely.

Victoria Black, North Alabama EC

Catch A Man Cookies 1 cup butter 1¼ cups dark brown sugar ½ cup granulated sugar 1 egg 1 egg yolk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 cups flour

Nutella Cookie Cups 1 cup uncooked rolled oats ½ teaspoon baking soda ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 cup white chocolate chips 1 cup chocolate chips

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat until melted. Remove from the heat. Add the dark brown sugar and granulated sugar and stir until sugars are incorporated and smooth. Chill the mixture for 10 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and stir in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt and cinnamon and mix together. Stir in the white chocolate chips and chocolate chips. Roll by hand into 24 medium-size balls, or use a scoop, and place on a light-colored cookie sheet. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Remove the cookies from the refrigerator and bake for 12 to 14 minutes.

Pamela Martin, Arab EC

1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened ½ cup dark brown sugar, packed ½ cup granulated sugar 1 egg ½ tablespoon vanilla extract

1¾ ½ ½ 1

cups all-purpose flour teaspoon baking soda teaspoon salt cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup Nutella, melted or softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a standard size muffin pan with cooking spray and set aside. In a large bowl, add flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Set aside. In another bowl cream together butter and sugars for 2 minutes until light and fluffy. Then add in the egg and vanilla extract and beat for 2 more minutes. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until all combined and well-incorporated. Using a spatula, fold in the chocolate chips. Place Nutella in a microwave-safe bowl and warm up the Nutella in 30 second intervals in the microwave until you achieve a smooth and runny consistency that is easy to spoon out. Using a medium cookie dough scoop, scoop out 1.5 - 2 tbsp. of cookie dough, flatten it to the bottom of the muffin tin. Repeat with the dough until all 10 of the muffin tin bottoms are lined with cookie dough. Take a tablespoon of the warmed up Nutella and place in the middle of the dough that’s in the muffin tin. Then, take the remaining cookie dough and cover the Nutella layer. You don’t have to push it down hard, it’ll make the Nutella ooze. Just a gentle tap will do. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the edges are brown. Immediately run a paring knife around the cookie cups when they come out of the oven so you can loosen them for easy removal later.

Pamela LaRue Martin, Arab EC Editor’s Note: Alabama Living’s recipes are submitted by our readers. They are not kitchen-tested by a professional cook or registered dietician. If you have special dietary needs, please check with your doctor or nutritionist before preparing any recipe.

48 APRIL 2015

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Alabama Living

APRIL 2015  49

Wiregrass students enjoy Montgomery Youth Tour Each year, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative sends students from across its service area to participate in the Youth Tour in Montgomery. This March, 10 area students visited the state capital to learn about representative government and the electric utility industry while meeting new friends and sharing in fun activities.

The annual Montgomery Youth Tour is sponsored by the Alabama Rural Electric Association (AREA) and electric cooperatives throughout Alabama such as WEC. Through their efforts, 150 students across the state had an opportunity to see government in action firsthand.

Thank you to our students who participated! These students will also receive a $500 scholarship from Wiregrass Electric Cooperative.

Macie Dillard

Alex Reynolds

Megan Justice

Collin Craig

Lacey Shehee

Troy Watts

Dylan McCollough

Sydney McDonald

Gabrielle Richards

Delaney Howell

To read more about the 2015 Montgomery Youth Tour, see Page 34

ALWAYS

CALL BEFORE YOU

DIG

Homeowners sometimes make risky assumptions about whether or not they should get their utility lines marked. Wiregrass Electric Cooperative wants to remind you that every digging job should begin with a call to 811, even small projects like planting trees and shrubs.

The depth of utility lines varies greatly, and there may be multiple utility lines in a common area. Digging without calling can harm you and those around you, disrupt service to an entire neighborhood and result in fines and repair costs. Calling 811 before every digging job gets your underground utility lines marked for free and helps prevent undesired consequences.

Safe digging is no accident: Always call 811 before you dig Visit call811.com for more information

One free, easy call gets your utility lines

AND helps protect you from 50 APRIL 2015 marked injury and expense.

Safe Digging Is No Accident: Always Call 811 Before You Dig

www.wiregrass.coop

For the last 75 years, Wiregrass Electric Cooperative has been committed to improving the lives of its members. It does this chiefly by providing affordable, reliable electricity.

However, unlike other companies you may be familiar with, WEC is a cooperative. That means it also follows a set of principles shared by every cooperative in the nation. One of these seven principles is “Concern for Community,” which means that while it focuses on the needs of its members, WEC also strives to improve the community as a whole.

In the spirit of serving its members and their communities, WEC is launching a new program called Operation Round Up. Over 300 electric cooperatives across the nation have already successfully implemented this program.

With Operation Round Up, WEC now offers its members a simple and rewarding way to support worthwhile projects in its service area.

Operation Round Up rounds each member’s bill to the next whole dollar amount and uses that money to support charitable causes and nonprofit community services and programs throughout our local Wiregrass community.

Together, we have the power to turn coins into real change for the Wiregrass.

Since 1998, Operation Round up has helped us distribute nearly $700,000. We’ve used that

“

“

money to fund scholarship opportunities for kids in our communities, as well as support several nonprofits. It’s a great program, and we’re proud to be able to help.

Tonya Sexton, Vice President of Marketing/Communications First Electric Cooperative in Jacksonville, Arkansas

wiregrass.coop/roundup Alabama Living

APRIL 2015 51

Our Sources Say

Focusing on fundamentals

A

fter a few articles on issues surrounding carbon regulation, I’ll take a break and write about how we run our business and what we believe is important.

Alabama’s best product may well be football. It is certainly something we have been good at for a long time and from recent seasons and recruiting classes, we should be successful for a while longer. Why have we been so effective at football?

Coaches Bryant and Jordan’s players tell a similar story - both coaches stressed, preached and practiced fundamentals. If you don’t block and tackle well, the rest doesn’t much matter – you will not be a winner. Coaches Malzahn and Saban are winning today by building programs that focus on fundamentals.

PowerSouth’s values are our fundamentals. We won’t win without executing the fundamental blocking and tackling of our business. Our values, our fundamentals, are timeless and should guide us today and into the future just as they have guided us in the past.

First, foremost and always, safety is our number one value.

It is important that our employees return home every day as healthy and whole as they came to work. We continually stress our processes in an effort to achieve the goal of zero lost-time accidents.

We have instituted the DuPont STOP program to better identify safety processes and statistics. We renewed our commitment to safety and continued our safety awards program, but our efforts fell short of an undefeated season. We suffered one lost-time accident, five medical events and three hearing shifts.

We need to work on safety fundamentals. The health and welfare of our most valuable resource — our employees — is at risk.

We are committed to providing the training and tools our employees need to complete every task, every job, every mile driven and every work day safely. Through attention to detail, awareness and teamwork, we can again reach our National Championship of zero accidents and zero medicals.

The second fundamental is member unity, which supports member relations, our second value. Maintaining these positive relationships is vital to our existence. PowerSouth was formed 74 years ago for the sole purpose of providing reliable and competitively priced wholesale power to our members. Our mis-

Gary Smith is President and CEO of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative. info@powersouth.com

52 APRIL 2015

sion remains the same today. We are owned by our members, and our only customers are our members. Meeting their needs and continually providing them with information about their business is blocking and tackling for us. Relationships with our members are good, but they can be better. Our employees are on the line of scrimmage daily in serving our members. We need their best efforts to effectively serve the members and meet their expectations.

Our third value is reliability—the assurance that the power we provide our members will meet their capacity and energy needs at peak load times every second of every day. It takes everyone in every department doing their part to reach that goal. Reliability is central to our success. There is no substitute for reliable electric service. Customers demand reliability, and we recognize it is a fundamental element of our business.

It is also important to note that a long-term, diverse-generation plan has been fundamental to our strategy of ensuring reliability, which is our fourth value, affordable cost of service. Our diversity strategy is now at risk with the prospect of additional environmental regulation, which has the prospect of increasing the cost of electricity. It is important that the retail consumer be able to afford the basic necessity level of electricity. Maintaining a reasonable and competitive cost of service is critical to our success and one reason we are doing what we can to reduce the cost of future regulation.

A benefit of low electric rates is the encouragement of economic and community development, our fifth value. Our efforts to improve the communities our members serve by improving community infrastructure, promoting new employment opportunities, and improving the quality of life in the areas our members serve is integral to a successful future for our communities, our members and us. The roles our employees play in our own communities—as volunteers and leaders in civic, school, community and church activities—make a positive contribution.

Those types of personal contributions also lead to the development of our employees as individuals, citizens, spouses and parents. Our employees’ improvement is paramount to our success as a business, which is our last value: employee development. A skilled, knowledgeable, innovative workforce prepared to meet strategic goals and serve our members’ needs is imperative to our continued success.

Changes in our business don’t mean a deviation from strong fundamentals. If we don’t block and tackle well every day, we will not be successful. Focusing on those fundamentals will make us better people today and prepare us for the greater demands of tomorrow.

I hope you have a good month. A www.alabamaliving.coop

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Alabama Living

APRIL 2015 53

Alabama Snapshots

2

3

1

7 8 4

6

5

“My Favorite Pet” 1. Tyde Tucker and Little Girl.

SUBMITTED BY Lisa Graham, Cullman.

2. Jason Smoak and Alex, a 9-yearold Great Dane. SUBMITTED BY Laura Smoak, Dothan.

3. D a i s y D u k e t h e B e a g l e .

SUBMITTED BY Ashley Giddens, Silverhill.

4. Rosco. SUBMITTED BY Patty Bender, Florala.

54 APRIL 2015

5. Emma Grace and her mini donkey she named Cam Newton. SUBMITTED BY Denise Ramsey, Eastaboga.

6. Judson and Ruby. SUBMITTED BY Deborah Morris, Hillsboro.

7. Argin Dooley and Yeller.

SUBMITTED BY Angela Dooley, Hanceville.

8. Harper (2 years old), with Sprinkles, her Barred Rock Hen. SUBMITTED BY Brittany Henderson.

Submit Your Images!

JUNE THEME:

“Vacation Selfies”

SUBMIT PHOTOS THROUGH OUR WEBSITE: alabamaliving.coop/submit-photo/ OR SEND COLOR PHOTOS WITH A LARGE SELFADDRESSED STAMPED ENVELOPE TO:

Photos, Alabama Living, P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, AL, 36124 RULES: Alabama Living will pay $10 for photos that best match our theme of the month. Photos may also be published on our website at www. alabamaliving.coop. Alabama Living is not responsible for lost or damaged photos.

DEADLINE FOR JUNE: April 30

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