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.

Vanieca Akins and Amy and Marvolene Holloway took their magazine to River Valley Camp Ground in Cherokee, North Carolina. They are members of Tallapoosa River Electric Cooperative.

Jackie Henley of Prattville, a member of Central Alabama Electric Cooperative, carried her magazine on a trip to Crescent Beach, Florida.

Kathy Laney and her mother, Ivonell Sellers of Cullman, traveled to the Petrified Forest in Arizona last summer. They are members of Cullman Electric Cooperative.

Dave and Gerdy Wyatt, members of Baldwin EMC, travel every year to Colorado where they like to visit Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. “There are wonderful trails for hiking and of course the Visitor Center, with displays of many 34 million year-old fossils,” writes Gerdy. “This picture shows a 34 million-year-old petrified redwood tree stump.”

Letters to the editor

E-mail us at: letters@alabamaliving.coop or write us at: Letters to the editor P.O. Box 244014 Montgomery, AL 36124

Thankful for article

I want to thank you again for publishing the article about Magic Moments (January 2022)! We have received incredible feedback and have had numerous people reach out wanting to get involved as a result of it. I truly can’t thank you enough for including us!! I have been contacted by people from North Alabama down to Mobile! If I can ever do anything for you, let me know!!

Sandy Naramore, Executive Director, Magic Moments

Trouble in a small town

I cannot speak for Greenville, Monroeville or Butler, Alabama (“Looking for a Third-Float Girl,” Hardy Jackson’s Alabama, February 2022), but a trip south to Mobile was not necessary to find trouble in Thomasville, Alabama. My Great-Aunt Jodie Jackson knew where Lucifer hung out and often warned me to stay away from the corner of West Front Street and Noble Avenue. That was the location of Clay’s Amusement Center, a slick name for the city pool hall. The musical Professor Harold Hill had nothing on Aunt Jodie. Hill was a con man and Jodie was a Southern Baptist. I ventured downtown often while visiting my Aunt, but never entered the Amusement Center. I did stand outside its only door some Saturdays, trying to catch a peek of the Serpent during all the comings and goings, but all I ever saw was men in overalls and spit cups placing silver on the table rails. Clay’s Amusement Center is long closed now and many, many years ago I came to understand what Aunt Jodie meant.

Charlie Runnels, Mentone

State encourages employers to hire more veterans

Gov. Kay Ivey and Alabama Department of Labor Secretary Fitzgerald Washington are encouraging Alabama employers to hire veterans by applying to and participating in the HIRE Vets Medallion Award Program, an official program of the U.S. Department of Labor.

The application period runs through April 30, 2022.

These awards are the only federal-level veterans’ employment awards that recognize a company or organization’s commitment to veteran hiring, retention and professional development. In 2021, 37 Alabama companies received the HIRE Vets Medallion Award, and 849 employers were recognized nationally.

The award is based on several criteria, ranging from veteran hiring and retention to providing veteran-specific resources, leadership programming, dedicated human resources and compensation and tuition assistance programs, with requirements varying for large, medium and small employers. There is no application fee.

To learn more, create an account or update an existing account for the HIRE program, visit HireVets.gov or visit one of the 55 Alabama Career Centers.

Going wild in the garden: Why and how to create a wildlife-friendly landscape

Plants that produce berries, nuts, insects, pollen and nectar help feed the birds and butterflies that populate our yards. Those animals are part of the food web and, thus, help connect and sustain the Earth’s circle of life.

By Katie Jackson

Anyone who gardens, or even putters in the yard, knows that the simple act of gardening provides many benefits – fresh air, exercise, stress relief and access to fresh foods to name a few. But they may not realize those simple acts can also help save the world, especially the wild world.

Entomologist and conservationist Doug Tallamy has been exploring and explaining those connections for more than three decades in his job as a University of Delaware professor and researcher. His work, which includes studying issues such as the impact of native versus nonnative plants on interconnected wildlife species (caterpillars and chickadees, for example), led Tallamy to write Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants.

This award-winning book focuses on the whys and hows of gardening for nature and, since its publication in 2007, has made Tallamy a guru in the growing movement toward more nature- and wildlife-friendly gardening. And that movement has never been so important as it is today.

“We are in a global wildlife extinction crisis,” says naturalist and media star David Mizejewski, spokesperson for the National Wildlife Federation’s Garden for Wildlife program and author of the popular how-to book Attracting Birds, Butterflies, and Other Backyard Wildlife. “More than a million wildlife species worldwide are endangered,” he says. “In the U.S. alone, some 12,000 animal species are experiencing rapid population declines and one-third of all native wildlife species are at an increased risk of extinction in the coming decade.”

Among these species are beloved yard and garden visitors such as birds and butterflies as well native bee species, which play essential roles in crop pollination. These statistics are disturbing not just because they represent the loss of irreplaceable wildlife populations but also their dilemma may be a harbinger for the future of humankind, which also relies on healthy ecosystems. Humans are also connected to nature cognitively, says Michelle Bertelsen, an ecologist with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildlife Center in Texas. “We have evolved and learned to think by interacting with the natural world forever and ever and ever,” she says. “That doesn’t stop just because we may live in cities.” And it is a connection many humans have come to appreciate during the past two years of the global COVID-19 pandemic.

“People have sought solace in nature during these tough times,” Mizejewski says, and many found it in their own yards, especially at the peak of COVID-19 shutdowns and stay-at-home orders.

While concerns about and connections to nature are increasing, they are also a source of frustration. “Everybody on the planet requires healthy ecosystems,” Tallamy says. But, he addd, when faced with stark statistics about the decline of wildlife and ecosystems “most people feel absolutely powerless. The Earth is huge and what can one person do?”

A lot, agree Tallamy, Mizejewski and Bertelsen, and it all begins in the landscapes that surround us.

“How we choose to manage and care for our own piece of earth is a powerful way to help out these declining populations,” Mizejewski says. “Sure, what we do in our backyards is not going to save polar bears, but it can make a huge difference for the endangered Monarch butterflies and the birds and wild bee species that really need our help.”

“There is a central role that Joe Public can play because Joe Public owns the country,” Tallamy adds, explaining that while public parks, preserves and wilderness areas provide vital habitat for wildlife, they alone cannot save these species. However, on the 78 percent of U.S. land that is privately owned, wildlife-friendly management can have huge impacts on these animals and the overall health of the planet.

That kind of impact can occur anywhere and on any piece of land, from large rural fields to medium-sized suburban yards to tiny urban greenspaces. According to Bertelsen, studies have shown that putting small strips of pollinator habitat between rows or on the edges of agricultural land can greatly benefit pollinators, which in turn benefits the crops. The same can happen in our yards.

“It’s amazing how much impact a small pollinator garden can have,” Bertelsen says. “Even tiny islands (of wildlife-friendly real estate) in cities can help these species out so much. A little bit really does go a long way.” And when numerous people in the same vicinity and eventually across the globe provide wildlife habitats, such as pollinator gardens, the impact grows exponentially.

So what exactly is a wildlife-friendly landscape? According to Tallamy, it’s a landscape that contributes four components to the local ecosystem: it supports a diverse population of pollinators, supports the greater food web, sequesters carbon and protects and manages watersheds. And many of these functions, says Mizejewski, can be accomplished by providing wildlife with four basic needs: food, cover, places to raise young, and water.

Top: Planting with an eye toward wildlife can bring color to any yard, not just through flowers and leaves but also through the stunning array of birds, butterflies and other creatures that come to feed on these plants, such as this goldfinch feasting on the seeds of a purple coneflower.

PHOTO BY KATHY DIAMONTOPOULOS; COURTESY OF AMERICAN MEADOWS

Middle: Plants form the foundation of a wildlifefriendly garden, especially when a diverse selection of densely spaced native plants are used. Every region of the country has plants unique to their local environment, plants that evolved in conjunction with the insects and other animals native to the area. Depending on which plants are chosen, wildlife-friendly gardens can range from formal, manicured gardens to more natural designs, such as this nectar garden, and everything in between.

PHOTO COURTESY OF THE LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER

Bottom: Monarch butterflies, one of some 12,000 U.S. wildlife species currently experiencing alarming population declines, benefit greatly from wildlife-friendly gardening practices. By providing Monarchs and other insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals with four basic needs – food, cover, water and a place to raise their young – home gardeners even in big cities can help avert a wildlife extinction crisis. In the process, their landscapes become living, thriving ecosystems that benefit all life on the planet.

“All wildlife, whether they’re in the wilderness or in our gardens, need these things,” Mizejewski says. As they create a food web, they also create an ecosystem that supports all life in the area. “It’s a circle of life thing.”

It just so happens that the primary foundation of any ecosystem is the very thing that makes a garden a garden – plants. But not just any plants.

“The most important thing (about gardening for nature and wildlife) is to pick the right plants,” Mizejewski says, “and those are going to be plants that are native to your region, plants that have co-evolved with wildlife and that wildlife needs to survive.”

Native plants, in fact, can provide three of the four basic circle-oflife needs – food, shelter and nesting/birthing sites. Just add water and you have a wildlife-friendly habitat.

And going wild doesn’t mean that yards and gardens have to look wild. “It’s a common misperception that a wildlife-friendly or natural garden equals a messy garden,” says Mizejewski. “You can have a beautiful, magazine photo-worthy garden space that is also extremely beneficial to wildlife.”

For wildlife species to survive, they must have sources of food, water, cover and a place to raise their young. Provide those four ingredients and you can help support generations of wildlife families, such as this white-eyed vireo feeding its babies.

PHOTO BY DOUG TALLAMY

Small changes, big impacts

By Katie Jackson

When it comes to gardening for nature, big changes come in small packages and work best when approached with baby steps.

That’s the message that ecologist Michelle Bertelsen, naturalist David Mizejewski and entomologist/conservationist Doug Tallamy all try to emphasize whenever they share their passion for nature-friendly gardening, especially when they’re talking to folks who are new to the concept.

“Developing a wildlife-friendly landscape only becomes scary and un-doable if you think you have to do it all by tomorrow,” Tallamy says. Instead, he suggests approaching it with an eye toward one or two of the four components of a healthy ecosystem (supporting pollinators, supporting the food web, sequestering carbon and managing the watershed).

“Look at your property and ask yourself, ‘Which one of these can I do better?’ Almost everyone can do at least one of those better,” he says. “Think of it as an ecological hobby: I’m going to improve the ecological integrity of my property a little bit each year.”

All three experts encourage the idea of starting in a small and specific area of the yard or garden rather than trying to makeover the entire yard. This saves time, money and allows gardeners to learn as they go.

They also all agree that the basis of any nature-minded landscape is the use of native plants, which are suited specifically to local environments. Because these plants evolved with local wildlife species, they will provide almost everything local wildlife needs to thrive.

And once established, native plants can also help lower maintenance demands in the landscape. “There’s no garden in the world that is ‘no maintenance,’” says Bertelsen, “but you shouldn’t have to water and fertilize native plants as much as you do nonnative species.”

It’s also important to plant natives densely and diversely. Filling a space with lots of compatible but different plant species is ideal. “The more plants you have and the bigger the grouping of them, the more likely you’re going to support wildlife,” Mizejewski says.

Reducing the amount of land dedicated to a lawn can open more space for wildlife-friendly native plants and lower lawn care maintenance costs. However, lawns are often happy places for many homeowners, so there’s no need to eliminate lawns entirely. Just replace under-utilized areas of the lawn with native plants.

It’s also important to assess a site’s growing conditions including its soil profile (run a soil test for this), moisture levels (determine if the area is naturally wet, dry or somewhere in between) and lighting conditions (shady or sunny, for example).

“The key to all native gardening is matching the plant to the conditions rather than matching the conditions to the plant,” Bertelsen says. “Really, it’s the same as it would be for any kind of gardening.”

Armed with an understanding of local conditions, gardeners and homeowners can explore the choices of native plant species suited for their sites and find plants that also appeal to their goals and personal styles.

Once gardening for nature becomes second nature, homeowners can expand their efforts across the yard and, quite possibly, become the envy of the neighborhood.

“If you choose the right plants, your yard can look just like your neighbor’s, only yours will be supporting nature and wildlife whereas your neighbor’s yard might not,” Mizejewski says. That’s something to aspire to.

Research conducted at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Texas has shown that a mixture of low-growing native grasses can be used as a substitute for lawn turfs. These native grasses, similar varieties of which exist in every region of the country, require less mowing, watering and fertilizing.

The power of storytelling

Stories can change lives. Just ask author and educator Marlin Barton (https://marlinbarton.com), a man who has witnessed firsthand the transformative power of stories. Barton grew up in Montgomery and Forkland, Ala., hearing stories read and told by family members and neighbors. Those stories helped a very young Barton overcome a learning disorder and go on to become an award-winning short story writer and novelist with six books to his name and a seventh on the way. Stories are also at the heart of his work teaching creative writing to graduate students at Converse College in South Carolina and to teenagers at Alabama’s Mt. Meigs juvenile correction facility. He sat down with us recently to talk about his personal story, the life-changing power of sharing stories and his writing. – Katie Jackson

How did your childhood experiences influence your love of words and writing?

My mother read to me constantly. And my grandmother was a big reader, too, so if you can inherit a love for reading that’s where mine came from. I was diagnosed with dyslexia when I was in kindergarten and began doing a therapy called “patterning” to rewire my brain. Every day while my mother was patterning me, she would read to me just to pass the time. It worked. I was on the program for only about 18 months.

What were other influences from your childhood?

My grandfather in Forkland, at the fork of the Black Warrior and Tombigbee rivers in Greene County, had a general store that sold everything from overalls to pump handles to buckets of lard, but people also came there to socialize. He had chairs in a front window and a little space heater where they would sit and talk, and I would listen. When my cousins came to visit, my father and grandfather would tell stories, too. I’m sure that listening to all those stories is part of what made me a writer.

Do those childhood experiences and stories ever end up in your books?

Yes. I think place shapes us and my fiction is pretty much set in a fictionalized version of Forkland. The two places – the imaginary and the real one – aren’t exactly the same, but there are certainly a lot of similarities.

Children of Dust, your latest novel, is a story about race, gender, relationships and a mystery that spans five generations of a rural Alabama family. Is any of it based in your own family’s history?

The husband and wife in the novel are based loosely on my great-great grandparents and I’ve drawn from a lot of family stories, history and lore.

In addition to teaching graduate-level creative writing, you’ve also spent 25 years teaching writing to juvenile offenders through the Writing Our Stories (WOS) program (www.writersforum. org/programs/stories.html). What’s it like working with such a diverse range of students?

I enjoy teaching in the low-residency MFA program at Converse College because I get to teach writing at a higher level. But sometimes I feel like the most important work I do is teaching in the Writing Our Stories program. We work to help students become better readers and writers, but we also feel the program has therapeutic value because they write about things they’ve been through, and they’ve been through some very difficult troubles. And when they see their work in print and get to read it to an audience, they feel a great sense of pride. A lot of these kids have been told or feel like they are no good, but when they hear praise and applause it makes them feel better about themselves.

Does your own background come in handy as you teach?

When I work with kids who have reading and writing problems, sometimes I recognize they are dyslexic or have a reading disability, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a sense of language.

Early on (with WOS) one of my students wrote a poem and I couldn’t read it, so I asked him to just tell me what he wrote line-by-line, then I wrote down what he said. By the time he got to the end of the poem, I could see he had an innate sense of metaphor and he ended up writing some great work. I suppose my childhood did help prepare me to work with that kid (and others).

I know this is like asking if you have a favorite child, but do you prefer writing short stories or novels?

I’ve written three novels and as soon as I had the idea for each of those books, I knew immediately they were bigger than a short story. They were going to be longer and more complex. But I really think of myself as a short story writer first and foremost. Short stories are still my first love.

Bella’s offers upscale dining with a romantic flair

Story and photos by Allison Law

The Colby Building, named for owner Robin Thagard’s son who died in 2004, houses Bella’s Ballroom as well as Bella’s Fine Dining restaurant.

It’s hard to miss The Colby Building in historic downtown Dothan. Built around 1937, the three-level former J.C. Penney department store dominates this part of North Foster Street; its large plate glass windows offer a peek into Bella’s Ballroom, a high-end event venue that can accommodate 300.

But continue around the corner and you’ll find the entrance to Bella’s Fine Dining, which has become the place to go in the Wiregrass for virtually every kind of celebration (“If you’ve been married, you’ve been on a date here,” says owner Robin Thagard). Each night, many of the patrons are celebrating a birthday, anniversary or other life event. “We get tons of proposals here,” Thagard says.

Inside the spacious restaurant are dining areas on different levels, plus two full bars and four private rooms available for rent. The look throughout is muted, with dark walls and candles on each table to set the romantic mood. Thagard describes the style as a bit of New Orleans, jazz style and very urban. The decor is eclectic; chandeliers, a favorite of Thagard’s, are everywhere, as are unique finds from her travels as well as Facebook Marketplace.

Of course, the food is the centerpiece of any dining experience, and Bella’s has won numerous local and regional awards as an Italian restaurant (though its menu features more than just Italian dishes). Chef

Michael Horne hand cuts all the ribeyes and filets; Thagard says his steaks are the best in the state. Other favorites include shrimp scampi, chicken marsala, and the side dishes, including the gourmet mac ’n’ cheese and fresh roasted vegetables (those who don’t like Brussels sprouts will change their minds when they taste Horne’s,

Thagard says). “We don’t have an extravagant menu, but what we do, we do excellent,” Thagard says.

“Consistency is probably the most important part of the business.” Among the favorite appetizers are the bacon wrapped shrimp and housemade bruschetta. Thagard has always been an entrepreneur but had long resisted getting into the restaurant business. Then, as often happens, life changed in a way she didn’t expect.

Bella’s Fine Dining

111 West Troy St. Dothan, AL 36303 334-699-3448 Bellasfinedining.com Hours: 5 to 9 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday; call for information about private events at other times. Weekend reservation recommended.

Dothan l

Have an idea for a great restaurant we need to visit? Send us the details at contact@alabamaliving.coop

A new venture

Thagard’s dad was in the military, and she grew up in Ozark. She had been in business for herself for several years when an acquaintance called and said, “Buy my restaurant.” She initially said no but felt called to take it on.

She opened that Ozark restaurant on June 9, 2008, which was the birthday of her son, Colby, who died in an accident in 2004. She named the restaurant Colby’s in his memory.

Two years later, she was asked to open a restaurant in a leased space in the Dothan building she now owns. That restaurant opened on Colby’s birthday – June 9, 2010.

Then, the owner of the historic Dothan building passed away, and Thagard bought the whole building and started renovations in 2012. She bought it on June 9, and of course, she named it The Colby Building. (Bella is her daughter’s nickname.)

Colby’s presence, whether in name or spirit, is always around.

‘An experience’

A meal at Bella’s is an experience,

Thagard says. “Not just a food experience. It’s the food, service, ambiance.

You’re going to know that you’ll be taken care of. When you leave, you’re going to want to come back.” After 10 years, Thagard feels like

Bella’s has kind of arrived, and for her,

Horne and much of the staff, they’re like family, and Bella’s is home. She has no plans to start opening for lunch and will continue to operate without a kids’ menu (splurge on a babysitter on a date night at Bella’s).

After COVID, the restaurant went from six nights a week to four, and that, too, is likely a permanent change.

But that’s not to say that Thagard’s vision for her businesses won’t evolve. Next up is a rooftop bar, Thagard says, because she needed to put in a new roof anyway. “Why not spend the extra money and do it?” The bar, which will have a view of Foster Street, will likely happen this year. And the entry to the restaurant has been renovated to eventually offer to-go charcuterie items, including Horne’s steaks.

Neither she nor Horne are going anywhere, she says. “When you feel called to be somewhere and do something, you don’t want to be anywhere else. Michael says the same thing! I’m not ready to retire yet. I’ll hang out for a few more years, if the Lord allows me.”

Get your ducts in a row

By Miranda Boutelle

Q: My HVAC system is a mystery to me. What can I do to maintain it and keep my home comfortable year-round?

A: For most people, the inner workings of the HVAC system are out of sight, out of mind. The system is ignored until something goes wrong.

Understanding the basics of how a heating and cooling system works will help you create a more efficient, comfortable living space. To get started, let’s go over how it works.

If you have a forced air system, you have ducts. A forced air system consists of the equipment that heats or cools the air and the ductwork that moves it around the home. Your furnace, or air handler, has a fan inside that pushes the heated or cooled air through the supply ducts into the rooms. The return ducts bring air back to the furnace to be heated or cooled again and sent back through the home.

Seal your ducts

A forced air system consists of the equipment that heats or cools the air and the ductwork that moves it around the home. Your furnace fan pushes the heated or cooled air through the supply ducts into the rooms. The return ducts bring air back to the furnace to be heated or cooled again and sent back through the home. INSET: Holes, cracks or gaps in your ductwork cause leakage. This wastes energy and money by heating or cooling spaces you don’t use. You can hire a professional to test your ducts for leakage with specialized equipment and seal your ducts.

If your ductwork travels through an attic, crawl space or other unconditioned—not heated or cooled—space, it could have holes, cracks or gaps that cause duct leakage. This wastes energy and money by heating or cooling spaces you don’t use.

The U.S. Department of Energy estimates 20% to 30% of the air moved through duct systems is lost due to duct leakage. You could have the most efficient heating or cooling unit available, but if your ducts leak, you are wasting energy. In addition to wasted energy, leaky ducts can cause air-quality issues. Leaks in the return ducts can pull air into the ducts from surrounding spaces, through the furnace and then deliver it into the home. This can introduce dust, dirt, insulation particles and other gross stuff that is in your attic, crawl space or walls. Sealing ducts can be difficult because they are hidden behind the walls, floor and/or ceiling. Attics and crawl spaces can be hard places to work. You can hire a professional to test your duct system for leakage with specialized equipment and seal your ducts. If you seal ducts yourself, do not use duct tape. I know it is hard to believe, but duct tape dries out quickly and loses its adhesion. Seal with metal tape or duct mastic specifically designed for the job.

One relatively easy place to seal is where the duct meets the floor, wall or ceiling. Remove the registers and look for cracks or gaps around the edges. Remember to wear gloves to protect your hands.

GRAPHICS COURTESY DUY MAI, PIONEER UTILITY RESOURCE

Change your filter

This continuous loop of supply and return is susceptible to inefficient practices and leakage.

Here are some steps you can take to keep your system running efficiently and maintain a comfortable living space.

Check your vent dampers

Make sure the air you paid to heat or cool is freely moving through the home.

I wish vents were made without dampers because the feature creates the misconception they should be closed. Closing registers does not save energy. It can cause your system to work harder, shortening its lifespan and increasing duct leakage.

If you don’t do anything else after you read this, do check that your supply register dampers are open and not blocked by furniture or rugs throughout your home. This is easy to do and costs nothing.

Miranda Boutelle is the director of operations and customer engagement at Efficiency Services Group, which partners with electric utilities to provide energy efficiency services to members. She writes on energy efficiency topics for the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, the national trade association representing more than 900 local electric cooperatives. For more information, visit collaborativeefficiency.com/energytips.

The filter is on the return side of the duct system. It could be in the return registers or in the furnace. Checking your system’s filter regularly and replacing it when dirty can help you improve your heating and cooling efficiency.

When it comes to filters, my philosophy is buy cheap and replace often. I don’t know about you, but I have a much more difficult time throwing away a $20 filter than a $5 filter. Save by buying filters in bulk or set up auto ship for every three months.

In most cases, filters are designed to protect the furnace, not improve air quality. If you are worried about your home’s air quality, getting the ducts cleaned and sealed can help. Add an air purifier if you need additional air filtration. Look for Energy Star-rated models.

Now that you know the inner workings of your HVAC system and what it needs to run efficiently, you can improve and maintain the comfort in your home year-round.

Defend against scammers who target your Social Security benefits

Scammers are always finding new ways to steal your money and personal information by exploiting your fears. The most effective way to defeat scammers is to know how to identify scams and to ignore suspicious calls and emails.

One common tactic scammers use is posing as federal agents or other law enforcement. They may claim your Social Security number is linked to a crime. They may even threaten to arrest you if you do not comply with their instructions. Here are three things you should do: • Hang up right away or do not reply to the email. • Never give personal information or payment of any kind. • Report the scam at oig.ssa.gov to immediately notify the law enforcement team in our Office of the Inspector General.

You should continue to remain vigilant of phone calls when someone says there’s a problem with your Social Security number or your benefits. If you owe money to us, we will mail you a letter explaining your rights, payment options, and information about appealing.

There are a few ways you can identify a scam call or email. Remember that we will never: • Threaten you with benefit suspension, arrest, or other legal action unless you pay a fine or fee. • Promise a benefit increase or other assistance in exchange for payment. • Require payment by retail gift card, cash, wire transfer, internet currency, or prepaid debit card. • Demand secrecy from you in handling a Social Security-related problem. • Send official letters or reports containing personally identifiable information via email.

If you do not have ongoing business with our agency, it is unlikely we will contact you. Again, if you get a suspicious call claiming to be from us or law enforcement about Social Security, you should hang up and report it right away to our Office of the Inspector General at oig.ssa.gov.

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

March crossword by Myles Mellor

Across 1 Springtime bush plentiful in Alabama 5 Spring flowers in a popular van Gogh painting 9 Observe 10 Catnip and peppermint, e.g. 11 Blooms 12 Is able to be included 13 Tree with pinkish flowers 17 Football position, for short 19 Shrubbery 21 Character in a Christmas special, often 23 It’s essential in photosynthesis 24 Annual period, abbr. 25 Perennial plant with purplish-green flowers, 2 words 30 ___ down, what you might have to do after working hard in the garden 31 Turning over the soil 33 Bulbed spring flower 36 Ventilate 37 Johnny-jump-up, e.g. Down 1 Large spreading tree 2 Last letter 3 Oxygenate 4 Comfort 6 Brazilian city 7 Lady referred to 8 Scarf 11 Just cut, at a florist 12 Spring plant with bright yellow bell-shaped flowers 14 “___ stop, wet day, she’s there I say...” The

Hollies 15 Golf course maker, Pete 16 Cucumber in slang 18 Dental-drill part 20 Garden Club contest, e.g. 22 Fragrant funnel-shaped flower, originally from

South Africa 26 Old horse 27 Dark green color 28 Little drink 29 White-tailed animal 32 Chill 34 180-turn in the road 35 Well-liked