Spotlight

Take us along!

We’ve enjoyed seeing photos from our readers on their travels with Alabama Living! Please send us a photo of you with a copy of the magazine on your travels to: mytravels@alabamaliving.coop. Please include your name, hometown and electric cooperative, and the location of your photo and include your social media handle so we can tag you! We’ll draw a winner for the $25 prize each month.

Susan Dooley of Collinsville shared her magazine with President Lincoln when she visited Gettysburg National Military Park in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. She’s a member of Sand Mountain EC.

Dave Flora and his daughters Olivia and Audrey traveled to the Panama Canal’s Atlantic entrance, Aqua Clara. The Floras are from Wisconsin but enjoy their condo in Gulf Shores where they are members of Baldwin EMC.

These three couples, all members of Coosa Valley EC, took their magazine to the Tropic Of Cancer Beach in Little Exuma Bahamas, where the Tropic of Cancer crosses the island. From left, are Tim and Jada, Larry and Karen from Lincoln, and Adam and Krista from Riverside. “We were there June 21,” reports Larry Phillips, “the longest day of the year! If we win, please donate our prize to the Coosa Riverkeeper who works hard to keep our Logan Martin Lake clean and safe!” You got it, Larry!

Jim and Yvonne Quinlan of Foley visited Longview, Texas, with their 1928 Model A Ford, along with 100 other Model A enthusiasts. They are members of Baldwin EMC.

Find the hidden dingbat!

We admit, the November dingbat – a fall scarecrow – was mighty small, but more than 400 of you did spot him on Page 31, in the photo of our Cook of the Month, hiding in a potted plant. “Kathy Phillips didn’t mind sharing her cauliflower dish picture with the dingbat,” wrote Nora E. Taylor of Clarke-Washington EMC. Mary Gay of Falkville said we were “sneaky” hiding him there, and she had to find him with a magnifying glass!

Zayne Gregory of Albertville said he found the scarecrow pretty quickly. “This is the first time that I have done this,” he wrote. “My grandmother told me about it and I found it on my first try of looking for it.” Good job, Zayne!

Congratulations to our randomly drawn winner, Joe Wheeler EMC member Stephen R. Davis, who wins a prize package from Alabama Rural Electric Credit Union. This month, we’ve hidden a gingerbread man (not to be confused with the ginger cookies on Page 30!). Send us your guess by Dec. 8.

By mail: Find the Dingbat Alabama Living PO Box 244014 Montgomery, AL 36124

By email: dingbat@alabamaliving.com

Alabama Academy of Honor to induct new members

The Alabama Academy of Honor will welcome members into the classes of 2020 and 2021 at a ceremony Dec. 9 at the Renaissance Hotel and Spa in Montgomery. The 2020 ceremony was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The inductees represent a wide array of leaders and industries. Class of 2020 honorees are former U.S. Rep. Jo Bonner, retired USMC Maj. Gen. J. Gary Cooper and Equal Justice Initiative founder Bryan Stevenson.

Class of 2021 honorees are U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Huntsville attorney Julian Butler, former Alabama Supreme Court Justice John England Jr., former Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson, Grammy Award-winning recording artist Lionel Richie and UAB’s Senior Vice President of Medicine, Dr. Selwyn Vickers.

The Academy bestows honor and recognition upon living Alabamians for their outstanding accomplishments and service to the state and the nation. Membership is limited to 100 distinguished Alabamians and all living governors. For more information about the event, visit AlabamaAcademyOfHonor.org.

Towering Christmas Pyramid

pays tribute to Cullman’s German heritage

In America, Christmas trees usually symbolize the holidays. In Germany, the festive time of year includes a Weihñachts Pyramide, or Christmas Pyramid. Since 2019, the city of Cullman has observed the season with this lofty structure next to the Cullman County Museum to celebrate its German roots.

Cullman’s 30-foot-tall Christmas Pyramid proudly stands next to a statue of the city’s namesake, John Cullmann, who founded the town in 1873.

At 30 feet tall, the Cullman Christmas Pyramid is the tallest structure of its kind in the United States and resembles a Christmas tree with its stacked decorated sections. Although traditional table-top Pyramids have propellers that spin the tiers by heat from candlelight, the Cullman version turns by an electric motor. “Candle power is not possible with the large version and instead rotates by electricity,” Cullman County Museum Director Drew Green says.

Each of the Pyramid’s five tiers is beautifully decorated with Christmas displays, including nativity scenes, nutcrackers and angels, and a fourth one dedicated to John Cullmann, the founder of the North Alabama city, as a reminder of his hometown of Frankweiler, Germany. “One of the largest groups to immigrate to the United States is Germans,” Green says. “Like Cullman, there are many towns and cities around the United States which were predominantly German for most of their early history.”

Christmas pyramids originated from the Erzgebirge region of Germany in the 1700s as miners looked to make a living in response to the harsh winters and shrinking mining economy through woodworking. “The miners created toys and other household items and became very skilled woodworkers,” Green says. The wooden treasures replaced mining as a source of income that continues today with Christmas Pyramids found in many countries and other rich Christmas traditions found in areas settled by Germans. “The Christmas Pyramid expresses the Erzgebirge woodworking tradition and the love of the craftsmen for their homeland,” Green explains.

Bringing a German touch to Alabama

Cullman Mayor Woody Jacobs met with a German couple – who sold merchandise from their native country – about constructing a Christmas Pyramid in 2016 after hearing about a similar attraction in Fredericksburg, Texas, another town founded by Germans. After getting full support from city officials, the couple put Jacobs in touch with the same manufacturer in Germany that made the Christmas Pyramid in Texas and had a Pyramid shipped to Cullman.

Plant representatives traveled from Germany to Cullman and showed city workers how to correctly construct, break down and store the Pyramid’s pieces. “The company sent over workers when it was shipped to assemble it for the first time and to teach city employees how to build it and take it down each season,” Cullman

Parks, Recreation, and Sports Tourism Marketing Consultant Jasef Wisener says. During assembly, Jacobs decided to place the Pyramid in an area known in Cullman as the German Corner by the statue of founder John Cullmann and a replica of Cullmann’s home where the museum is located. His plan had full support from the museum after they considered the prospect of increased visitors who would see the Pyramid while learning about the city’s German history. “Cullman is incredibly proud of our German heritage, and the museum was completely on board with housing the Pyramid,” Wisener says. Thanks to word of mouth and being spotlighted in national publications, including The New York Times, Cullman has received visitors from across the country to visit the Pyramid during the holidays. “National media has helped a lot with the marketing of the pyramid outside the region,” Wisener explains. The museum also boosted its visitor count, both physically and on its Facebook page, thanks to the Pyramid, and even inspired a German-American couple to visit John Cullmann’s hometown in Germany. “Having the pyramid has brought many new visitors to the museum to get more information on the pyramid and Cullman’s German heritage,” Green says. Not even Covid-19 hindered At night the lights and movement of the 30-foot-tall Christmas Pyramid draw visitors to the heart of downtown Cullman. PHOTO COURTESY LYNDSEY McCORMICK attendance last December, as many spectators saw the Pyramid while participating in other virtual Christmas festivities. “Since the pyramid is located outside in a large open area, the pandemic did not affect visitors who were asked to wear a mask and social distance,” Green says. This holiday season’s goal is to have physical celebrations, including a German Christmas Market, with last year’s safety protocols still in place. “Hopefully, our Christmas in Cullman experience will be in-person this year and as huge as we planned last year with the pyramid being once again the centerpiece attraction for the season,” Wisener says. Those viewing the Pyramid seem to enjoy slowing down during the busy holiday season and relishing in its beauty. Green is encouraged that the skyscraping structure will help bring out everyone’s Christmas spirit. “Everyone I talk to when the pyramid is on display seems to become like a child again and bubble with excitement,” he says. For more information on the Pyramid and Cullman’s Christmas plans, visit christmasincullman.com.

The Cullman Christmas Pyramid nicely complements the city’s annual Christmas tree. PHOTO COURTESY CULLMAN COUNTY MUSEUM

Commissioned to create

Montgomery native Clydetta Fulmer, a nationally known sculptor, was on hand during the recent unveiling and dedication of her latest works, bronze busts of two Alabama pioneering women — suffragette leader Patty Ruffner Jacobs and civil rights and voting rights activist Amelia Boynton Robinson — at the Alabama Department of Archives and History. She has sculpted more than 100 specially commissioned pieces over the years, with more than 50 in public places, including the life-size statue of Rosa Parks in downtown Montgomery and Helen Keller as a child at the Alabama Public Library Service. Many of her works are on display at Faulkner University, while others are in private collections, including that of singer Amy Grant who commissioned Fulmer to create sculptures of her three children. – Lenore Vickrey

Tell us a little about your background, where you grew up and went to school.

I attended Alabama Christian Academy from the time I entered elementary school through my graduation from high school. My father, Clyde E. Fulmer, was the minister of the Capitol Heights Church of Christ for 33 years. Then he was the associate minister of University Church of Christ for ten years. My mother, Constance R. Fulmer, taught English at Alabama Christian Academy. After I graduated from ACA, I went to Lipscomb University in Nashville, TN. There I received a B.A. with a major in Art.

When did you realize your gifts as an artist, and specifically, as a sculptor? Did you begin creating at an early age?

My family members said that I began drawing soon after I discovered the pencil. My parents and my sisters, Connie and Eunice, thought that I had artistic talent. My mother enrolled me in an art class when I was 9. Besides learning to draw shapes of objects, I learned the basic proportions in drawing the faces of people. When I was about 12, I learned to paint in oils. I learned to paint still life arrangements, flowers, and landscapes. When I was in high school, I began painting portraits. When I was a student at Lipscomb University, I took my first sculpture course. In that class as I was sculpting my first clay portrait sculpture, I thought I had found my medium. I liked the challenge of creating three-dimensional art.

I still occasionally paint or draw a commissioned portrait. I always enjoy those experiences too, and I find the change of medium a refreshing change of pace, but I’m always drawn back to sculpting portrait sculptures in clay for bronze.

I’ve read where you require a year’s lead time to create a lifesize sculpture. Tell us a little bit about that process.

I build a framework out of wood attached with metal braces. That framework is called an “armature.” I add clay to the armature and gradually build a clay form and then develop a likeness of my subject. When the clay sculpture has been approved, someone from the foundry comes to my studio and makes a mold of latex and plaster. Wax is poured into the mold. I go to the foundry and inspect the wax and correct any imperfections. The wax is melted out of the shell. That is why it is called the “lost wax” method of bronzing. Then molten bronze is poured into the ceramic shell. The shell is broken away. The bronze sculpture is sandblasted and sprayed with chemicals to achieve the desired finish or patina. Then the sculpture is waxed and delivered.

What has been the most challenging commissioned work you’ve done?

There are so many different kinds of challenges involved with each work. I suppose the most difficult challenge happened in 1991, when my studio was struck by lightning and burned. The studio was declared a total loss. The building’s burning roof collapsed on a full-length life-sized statue I had just finished. I had to rebuild the statue and the studio in the course of that one commissioned work. By the grace of God, I have been blessed with the patience, perseverance, and perspective that I need to gradually move through each difficulty to come to the completion of each of the commissions that I have been given.

When you are not working, how do you like to spend your time?

I like to talk with family members and friends. I enjoy the beauty I see in nature, and I like to make photographs of forests and meadows and lakes and beaches and flowers. I enjoy arranging flowers and caring for plants. I have taught a ladies’ Bible class for many years. Studying the Bible and teaching it is a special joy.

Stitch in time

Opelika woman embroiders history into art

By Katie Jackson

History may be made one moment at a time, but Abby Snelling is capturing it one stitch at a time.

Snelling, who grew up in Montgomery and Birmingham but now calls Opelika home, is founder of Grey House Embroidery, a fiber art business that uses needle and thread to record architectural history. It’s an idea that sprang from Snelling’s shared passions for history and embroidery, and one that began to take shape in 2018 after Snelling and her brand-new husband, Garrison, moved into a charming grey house in historic Opelika.

At the time, Abby was on a year-long hiatus from her classes at Auburn University and had lots of time on her hands. Garrison, who worked from home, suggested she needed a hobby, so Abby took up embroidery. Though she had dabbled in needlecrafts with her grandmother, Abby had a lot to learn, so she began to teach herself using YouTube videos and other resources.

“It was so relaxing, and I fell in love with it,” she said. Soon Abby and a friend were gathering at the grey house to do craft nights together. As they worked, their conversations often turned to discussions about how they could weave their beloved hobbies into a business; but just what that business might look like was unclear.

An idea began to take shape, though, after Abby returned to school in 2019 to complete her history degree and undertook a senior project focused on Opelika’s history as a textile town. Already well established as a cotton shipping town, its textile manufacturing story began in the early 1900s when local investors pooled their money to build the Opelika Cotton Mill. By the mid-1920s, after town leaders convinced textile giant Pepperell Manufacturing Company (later known as WestPoint Home) to come to town, Opelika was a textile manufacturing hub and remained so for another half century or longer.

“I learned a lot about Opelika’s history through that project,” Snelling says. She also became intrigued by the remnants of its textile history, such as a handsome old mill smokestack and water tower that still stood in Opelika. She also found photographs of many long-gone buildings representing that history, some of which were featured in the 1978 film “Norma Rae.”

One that especially intrigued Snelling was the huge Pepperell Mill building, which had been shuttered since the early 2000s. Though the abandoned structure burned to the ground in 2013, looking at its photo Snelling could imagine its former presence on what was by then a vacant lot. She wanted to capture it and other parts of Opelika’s textile history with her own needle and thread, which posed a bit of a challenge. “Most traditional embroidery is very delicate and free-form with lots of curved, flowing lines,” she says. To embroider buildings, however, required the use of straighter lines and finding ways to highlight the textures, colors and fine details of these old structures. “Figuring out how to add those details using thread, which is pretty much two-dimensional, was like solving a puzzle.” Snelling had the solutions to that puzzle at her fingertips. Embroidery employs several basic stitches — chain, feather, back, running, and French knot among them — but also an array of other, more intricate stitches, all of which can be used to create different effects. In addition, embroidery thread, often called floss, comes in hundreds of colors that can help reproAbby Snelling creates embroidered works of architectural art, including the old Pepperell Mill building in Opelika, through her business, Grey House Embroidery. PHOTOS BY TESSA BATTLES duce the nuanced colors of each structure. Through trial and error, Snelling began creating works of historical art, beginning with the iconic image of the smokestack and water tower. She then began creating pieces of other buildings, including the long-gone Clements Hotel, a newly constructed Art Haus nonprofit building and the storefront of Griff Goods, a sustainable clothing shop located in historic downtown Opelika where Snelling works part time. Eventually, Snelling wants to create enough pieces for a show to highlight the past of this vibrant little town she has come to love. Through Grey House Embroidery, Snelling creates commissioned pieces, most recently capturing images of buildings on the campuses of Auburn, Florida State and University of Southern California. She also teaches embroidery one-on-one and in workshops. (To learn more, follow her on Facebook and Instagram @ greyhouse_embroidery.)

Alabama Bookshelf

In this periodic feature, we highlight books either about Alabama people or events, or written by Alabama authors. Summaries are not reviews or endorsements. We also occasionally highlight book-related events. Email submissions to bookshelf@alabamaliving.coop. Due to the volume of submissions, we are unable to feature all the books we receive.

The Speckled Beauty: A Dog and his People, by Rick Bragg, Knopf, $20.58 (pet grief/humor) The Pulitzer Prize-winning author from Alabama shares the story of how his life – full of uncertainty from a cancer diagnosis, chemo, kidney failure and recurring pneumonia – was transformed by his love for a poorly behaved, half-blind stray pup. Written with tenderness and sorrow, but also humor and grit, the book captures the devotion between two damaged creatures who need each other to heal. Deep South Dynasty: The Bankheads of Alabama, by Kari Frederickson, University of Alabama Press, $39.95 (history) From Reconstruction through the end of World War II, the Bankheads served as the principal architects of the political, economic and cultural framework of Alabama and the greater South. As a family, they were instrumental in fashioning the New South and the 20th century American political economy. This biography examines the complicated and evolving world of three generations of the Bankhead family of northwest Alabama. A Culinary Tour Through Alabama History, by Monica Tapper, Arcadia Publishing, $21.99 (gastronomy history) This gustatory journey through Alabama history seeks to capture the lives of regular people, not celebrities, who lived in different eras. The author, a historian from Alabama, says it’s a snapshot of the lives of people from the past, using the physical connection to food. Each location highlighted – Gaines Ridge, the Grand Hotel, and Belle Mont mansion, to name a few – had to be historically significant, providing a tie to the diners who came before us.

It Should Not Happen in America: From Selma to Wall Street – A Journey of Fire and Faith, by Richard Scrushy, NewSouth Books, $27.95 (memoir) The book details the events surrounding the legal battles of Scrushy, who in 2004 was one of the South’s wealthiest men and CEO of one of America’s most profitable health care corporations. Scrushy was indicted on federal bribery and mail fraud charges and found guilty in 2006; he was sentenced to almost seven years in federal prison. He maintains his innocence, and in his book claims that “corruption and vice embedded in the American legal system must stop.” Charlie Brown’s America: The Popular Politics of Peanuts, by Blake Scott Ball, Oxford University Press, $34.95 (cultural history) For nearly 50 years, Peanuts was a mainstay of American popular culture. Most readers associate the comic strip with the innocence of childhood, not social and political turmoil. The author, an assistant professor of history at Huntingdon College, combs through thousands of fan letters, interviews with Charles Schulz and behind-the-scenes documents to reveal that Schulz used the strip to project his ideas and comment on the rapidly changing politics of America. In Harm’s Way: A History of the American Military Experience, by Gene Allen Smith, David Coffey and Kyle Longley, Oxford University Press, $44.99 (military history) Covering air, land and sea power, the book provides a synthesis and analysis of America’s wars and military policies from colonial times to the 21st century. The book covers political and diplomatic challenges, social and economic changes, philosophical and ideological debates and technological advances, but focuses on the experiences of American people at war. Coauthor Smith is an Albertville native and earned three degrees at Auburn University.

Hosting houseplants:

Indoor plant care for the holidays and beyond

“Ialready have a houseful and now more are coming. I don’t know where I’m going to put them all!”

When a friend made that comment to me recently, I thought she was talking about an overabundance of holiday guests, then I realized she was talking about plants.

It’s a conundrum many gardeners face this time of year, especially those of us who have beloved potted plants that live outside most of the year but must come inside for the winter. Just as we get them settled in their favorite indoor overwintering spots, more plants — the holiday kind — begin to arrive, which means we have to make room for all these houseplant “guests” and still have room, and time, for the human ones.

It’s a good problem to have. After all, houseplants give as much as they take. They add beauty and warmth to the décor and many infuse the house with pleasant floral and evergreen scents. Caring for and sharing company with houseplants also helps reduce physical and mental stress levels, which we all can appreciate during the holidays.

But indoor plants can also add to our stress, particularly if they’re messy guests that drop their leaves, needles and blooms everywhere or leave water stains on floors, tabletops and other surfaces. Some may also have toxic qualities, which can pose a threat to people and pets, and others can be demanding and persnickety about their lodging arrangements.

Luckily, there are ways to make plant guests feel at home without spending all our time worrying after them. Here are a

Caring for your houseplants can reduce stress levels. few suggestions. • Do a quick background check on unfamiliar plants. How much light and water do they need? Can they tolerate particularly warm or cool rooms? Are they potentially poisonous? • Use this information to match plants with rooms — for example, sun-loving plants typically do best in rooms with south-facing windows while shade-loving plants prefer interior rooms or ones with only filtered light. • Group plants with similar needs in the same area. This helps ensure the room can meet their temperature, humidity and lighting needs and can also make watering and other maintenance chores more efficient. • Potentially toxic plants should be placed out of reach of children or animals, or, if they’re too dangerous or too much trouble, send them packing. • Place water-tight and sweat-resistant plant bases or trays (boot trays are great for this) under the plants and don’t rely on decorative foil wrappers often used around holiday plant pots to contain excess moisture. Be sure to Katie Jackson is a freelance wipe up any spills as you water, too.writer and editor based in Opelika, Alabama. Contact her at katielamarjackson@gmail.com. • Invest in a mobile planter or plant stand. These make it easier to move large plants or large groupings of plants around in the house, move them outside for a bit of fresh air on particularly pleasant winter days and can also facilitate moving them back outdoors this spring. • Don’t forget to invite culinary plants into your home. Citrus trees and perennial herbs such as rosemary make lovely houseguests. Many annual herbs, leafy greens, microgreens and a surprising number of small fruits and vegetables can also be grown indoors in the winter using DIY or purchased garden kits. Lots more information on growing and caring for indoor plants is available through books, online resources and local and state experts such as Alabama Cooperative Extension agents, Master Gardeners and local botanical gardens and nurseries. Make sure you’re getting advice and information from credible sources so you and your houseplant guests can enjoy one another’s company throughout the holidays and beyond.

DECEMBER TIPS

• Add a couple of inches of mulch around trees, shrubs and tender perennials, especially if they’re newly planted. • Give or buy holiday plants that can be transplanted into the landscape such as azaleas, hydrangeas, hellebores and rosemary plants. • Plant spring-blooming bulbs and bareroot trees, shrubs and roses. • Pull up young seedlings of weedy or invasive trees and shrubs, such as privet and mimosa. • Add compost and other amendments to garden beds. • Plant cool-season flowers, herbs and other crops such as leafy greens, beets, onions and radishes. • Keep bird feeders and baths clean and filled.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Social Security survivors’ benefits explained

We are here for surviving family members when a worker dies. In the event of your death, certain members of your family may be eligible for survivors’ benefits. These include widows and widowers, divorced widows and widowers, children, and dependent parents.

The amount of benefits your survivors receive depends on your lifetime earnings. The higher your earnings, the higher their benefits. That’s why it’s important to make sure your earnings history is correct in our records. That starts with creating a my Social

Kylle’ McKinney, SSA Public Affairs Specialist, can be reached by email at kylle.mckinney@ssa.gov. Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount. A my Social Security account is secure and gives you immediate access to your earnings records, Social Security benefit estimates, and a printable Social Security Statement. The Statement will let you see an estimate of the survivors benefits we could pay your family.

You may also want to visit our Benefits Planner for Survivors to help you better understand Social Security protections for you and your family as you plan for your financial future at ssa.gov/ planners/survivors.

Please visit ssa.gov or read our publication Survivors Benefits at ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10084.pdf for more information. You can also help us spread the word by sharing this information with your family and friends.

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

December crossword by Myles Mellor

Across 1 Reindeer transport 4 Christmas songs 9 The Saint who gave his name to Santa Claus 10 Stone used for chess sets 11 __ __ King (dish), 2 words 13 “White Christmas” coat 14 Yuletide, for short 16 Final 19 Potato, in slang 20 “____ Night” traditional Christmas carol 23 Male turkey 24 Puppy bark 27 Popular Christmas dinner, 2 words 28 Athens, Ala. Sippin’ ____ Festival 30 Alabama’s official state cake, 2 words 32 Coats a cake 36 Luxurious sheet material 37 State whose official drink is Conecuh Ridge

Whiskey Down 1 Christmas present bringer 2 Enthrall 3 What a yule log does 5 Morning time, abbr. 6 Tree decorations 7 Number of geese a laying, in the Christmas song 8 Enjoys the taste of 12 Actress Michele of “Glee” 15 Saint, for short 17 Winter month, abbr. 18 Poinsettia flower, for example 19 Present for a child 21 Little one 22 Sold it ___ song, (very little) 2 words 25 Here, in Spanish 26 ____ noir wine 27 Nut that is one of the ingredients in 30 across 29 Oscar __ La Renta 30 Dieters’ concern, abbr. 31 ____ Sedona car 33 Financial adviser, for short 34 Stress relief location 35 Alabama neighbor, abbr.