Vol. 66 No. 3 March 2013
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Manager
Steve Foshee Co-Op Editor
Kay Marshall 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 Melissa Henninger Creative Director Mark Stephenson Art Director Michael Cornelison Advertising director Adam Freeman Advertising Coordinator Brooke Davis Recipe Editor Mary Tyler Spivey ADVERTISING & EDITORIAL OFFICES:
4 Serving You Better in the 21st Century An article from the desk of TEC General Manager Steve Foshee.
12 Deep South pain
16 Going green
Whether you’re Irish or not, March 17 is a fine time to celebrate all things Irish and Alabama has its share of events commemorating St. Patrick.
340 TechnaCenter Drive Montgomery, Alabama 36117-6031 1-800-410-2737 E-mail: advertising@areapower.com www.areapower.coop
departments
USPS 029-920 • ISSN 1047-0311
Spotlight 10 Power Pack 18 Alabama Gardens 21 Fish&Game Forecast 22 Alabama Outdoors 30 ConsumerWise 32 Worth the Drive 34 Cook of the Month 46 Alabama Snapshots 9
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
ON THE COVER Springtime in Alabama with promises of new beginnings and growth.
Long summers, mild winters, and ample access to water and food make our state a happy home for fire ants. But most of us are not at all receptive to these invaders.
TEC 2013 High School Scholarship Deadline: March 15, 2013 Read more on page 5!
Printed in America from American materials
Alabama Living
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