Alabama Living November 2011

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Armistice

Alabama’s World War I veterans now honored in a new Archives exhibit

NOVEMBER 2011

Contents

Alabama Living NOVEMBER 2011 Vol. 64 No. 11

Co-op News. . . . . . . . . 4 Local information you can use

Around Alabama . . . . . . 9 Dog Delight, and more

Alabama Outdoors. . . . . 20 Turkey calling championship

Fish & Game Forecast. . . 21 Alabama Gardens. . . . . . 22 Uses for fall leaves

Destinations. . . . . . . . . 24 Annual songwriters festival

Silent Sentinels . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Electric cooperative poles remain the key to safe, reliable and affordable power in the future

Our Boys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 The state Department of Archives and History has found a way to honor our World War I veterans

Tough Times, Bright Future. . . . . 16 Alabama’s commissioner of agriculture discusses his current challenges and the future of farming

Cook of the Month. . . . . 26 Chili Cornbread Bake

Recipes . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Casseroles

Events Calendar. . . . . . . 29 Alabama Snapshots. . . . . 38 My grand kids

Next month

On the cover A photo of Alabamian William Jesse Gunnell, part of the Department of Archives and History’s Gold Star database.

Veterans Day is Nov. 11, which also marks the end of World War I. A l a b a m a

R u ra l

Meet Shelia Hull from west Alabama and her hand-painted Christmas ornaments.

E l e c t r i c

A s s o c i at i o n

Fred Braswell, AREA President • Darryl Gates, Editor • Melissa Henninger, Managing Editor • Mark Stephenson, Creative Director Michael Cornelison, Art Director • Jay Clayton, Marketing Director • Mary Tyler Spivey, Recipe Editor • Brooke Davis, Marketing Assistant

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.

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Alabama Living | NOVEMBER 2011 |

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Staying Warm and Safe This Winter Safely Using Space Heaters and Electric Blankets Earlier this year, on a cold January morning, fire officials determined that an electric space heater claimed the lives of 5-year-old and 9-year-old sisters in Grantville, Ga., in a fire that destroyed the family’s home.

Despite repeated search and rescue efforts, smoke and flames from the fire prevented the location and rescue of the two young victims. Officials discovered there were no working smoke detectors in the home.

Should a fire start in your home, smoke detectors can save lives, but you can also take steps to prevent fires.

“With winter on its way, many people will be getting out electric blankets and space heaters to help them stay warm.

They may provide needed comfort, but they can also be deadly if they are not used with care,” cautions Molly Hall, director of the Safe Electricity program.

Space heaters need space all around them to be able to circulate air safely. Place space heaters on a level surface away from areas where they could be bumped and knocked over and at least three feet away from flammable materials—including drapes, furniture, and clothing. Never leave a space heater unattended or running while you sleep.

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Before using a space heater, inspect the cord for any cracks or worn spots. If any are found, replace the cord or the heater. Avoid using extension cords. If one is necessary, use a heavy duty cord marked with a power rating at least as high as the heater. Take care to avoid overloading circuits.

If you are planning to buy a portable space heater, look for one that has been tested and labeled by a nationally recognized testing facility and that has all of the following safety features: •Tip-over switch that automatically shuts off the heater if it falls over.

•Protective grill to prevent anyone from touching the heating elements.

•Sealed heating elements encased in metal or ceramic.

Also inspect your electric blankets before use this year. Replace any electric blanket that is worn or torn, has a frayed electric cord, or has a damaged temperature control. Consider replacing electric blankets that are more than 10 years old, since their wiring can be damaged by ordinary wear and tear.

Folding, creasing, and sitting or lying on top of an electric blanket can damage the internal coils. Replace any blanket where the embedded heating wires have been displaced or damaged. Check by holding the blanket up to light; the wires should be evenly spaced and should not touch each other anywhere. If you have any doubt about its safety, throw it out.

Turn your electric blanket off when not in use.

Many older models have no internal temperature control to shut the blanket off when it gets too hot; if your blanket has no such internal control, consider replacing it with a newer model.

Also, refrain from using more than one electric blanket (or heating pad) at a time, and do not pile toys, pillows, or other materials on top of an electric blanket. Excessive heat may build up to the point where the blanket could ignite. Unplug your blanket if you smell smoke or if any scorching is evident; discoloration of the blanket may indicate that it is burning internally.

Never wash or dry clean an electric blanket. The

cleaning process may damage the internal coils and the heating insulation, which increases the risk of fire.

Never use an electric blanket that is wet, and do not turn an electric blanket on to dry it out.

“Whether its electric blankets, heaters, or wiring, protect your home and family,” Hall urges. “Check the operation of your home’s smoke detectors. Check detectors every month, and replace the batteries twice a year. Also, develop and practice an escape plan. A

good plan is known by all household members and includes an outside meeting location away from danger of the fire.”

Safe Electricity wants everyone to take steps to stay safe and comfortable this winter. Learn more at SafeElectricity.org.

During the holiday season, consider using ENERGY STARqualiied lights and strands to decorate. They use 70 percent less energy than regular lights and last up to 10 times as long. They also give off less heat, reducing the risk of re.

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Adding Insulation to Your Home Can Pay for Itself in Savings Evaluating Your Need for an Insulation Upgrade

A dding insulation can help reduce your heating costs and make your home more comfortable. Many older homes have less insulation than those built today. As a result, many homes are likely to use more energy, which makes for higher heating and cooling bills.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, heating and cooling account for 50 to 70 percent of the energy used in the average American home. Inadequate insulation is one of the leading causes of energy waste in most homes.

“Now is a good time to take stock of options to lower home energy bills and improve comfort— including upgrading your insulation, which can put money back into your pocket,” explains Molly Hall, executive director of the Energy Education Council. “There are rebates available to some consumers, and insulation upgrades also qualify for a tax credit.”

You can get a tax credit of up to $500 or 10 percent of the cost of insulation you add to your exist-

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ing home.

The credits are available through the end of this year.

It is usually easiest to add insulation to the attic, so that’s a good place to start. A quick rule of thumb in checking the attic—if you can see the ceiling joists, you do not have enough insulation and should add more. Ceiling joists are usually at most 10-11 inches, and insulation should be a minimum of 12 inches. So if the insulation is well above the floor joists, you probably have enough and adding more may not be cost-effective.

Then, look under your floors.

The Department of Energy recommends that you look at the underside of any floor over an unheated space like a garage, basement, or crawlspace.

Adding insulation to exterior walls can be more difficult because of access, but you can check what is currently there by turning off the power to an electrical outlet on the wall, removing the cover plate, and using a flashlight to look into the space around the outlet box.

Also, be sure to check ductwork and pipes that run through unheated or uncooled spaces in your

home—like attics and crawlspaces.

They can be insulated to save energy as well.

What does the insulation look like—loose fibers, granules, batts?

The thickness of insulation and the material with which it is made contribute to its R-value. R-value indicates resistance to heat flow. The higher the R-value is, the better the insulation ability. The Department of Energy provides a simple form that provides R-value recommendations based on house status, fuel type, and house location. It can be accessed at www.ornl.gov/sci/ roofs+walls/insulation/ins_16.html.

Visit the Energy Education Council’s www.EfficiencyResource.org site to find a video illustrating how insulation and air leaks can impact energy use and cost, as well as comfort. The site also has numerous links to tax credits and rebates, incentives and programs, presentations, articles, and more. An energy savings calculator helps consumers evaluate planned upgrades, and online games for children help them learn about energy. There is also a checklist for the entire family to participate in making the home energy efficient.

courtesy Energy Education Council

Leave the Pole Alone Placing A Sign On A Utility Pole Could Endanger A Life

What do yard sale signs, basketball hoops, deer stands, satellite dishes, and birdhouses have in common? They’re often found illegally attached to utility poles. But this isn’t only a crime of inconvenience. Safety issues caused by unapproved pole attachments place the lives of lineworkers and the

attached to utility poles can create serious hazards for our line personnel. Sharp objects like nails, tacks, staples, or barbed wire can puncture rubber gloves and other safety equipment, making linemen vulnerable to electrocution.

Lineworkers with electric co-ops have reported poles used as community bulletin boards, satellite mounts, and even support legs for deer stands, lights, and carports.

Not only do these attachments put line crews at risk, anyone illegally placing these items on poles comes dangerously close to energized power lines with thousands of volts of energy pulsing overhead. It’s always wise to keep any structure at least 10 feet away from utility poles.

Unauthorized pole attachments violate the National Electrical Safety Code, the accepted manual containing guidelines for safe electrical engineering standards.

Utilities strictly follow this code that includes a section that reads, “Signs, posters, notices, and other attachments shall not be placed on supporting structures without concurrence of the owner (the utility is the owner of the pole). Supporting structures should be kept free from other climbing hazards such as tacks, nails, vines, and through bolts not properly trimmed.”

Please help us keep our linemen – and our community – safe.

Don’t attach any of these unauthorized and dangerous items to utility poles. Fixtures not belonging to the cooperative or another utility will be removed by co-op line personnel; the co-op is not responsible for any losses if an item is damaged or destroyed during removal.

public in peril.

It may seem innocent, but a small nail partially driven into a pole can have deadly results around high-voltage electricity.

Your local electric co-op line crews climb utility poles at all hours of the day and night, in the worst of conditions. Anything

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Safety Tips for Outdoor Activities O

utdoor adventures such as swimming, camping, and hiking are rewarding ways to connect with nature. However, a few common-sense precautions can help to ensure a safe, fun excursion.

When planning your outdoor trip, make certain you know the area and weather forecast. Buy a map and plan to go with at least one other person. Give a copy of your itinerary and list of any equipment you’re bringing as well as the make, year, and license plate number of your car to someone you trust. Find out the location of the nearest hospital and also the nearest ranger station and phone, as cell phone coverage is not always available.

Take an American Red Cross Basic First Aid course so you can deal with common mishaps. The American Red Cross offers a Wilderness and Remote First Aid course, 8

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designed to teach folks how to respond to emergencies—such as animal-bite wounds, broken bones, plant poisoning, lightning strikes, and hypothermia—when help is more than one hour away. Make sure everyone in your group is physically able to handle the trip.

If you have a medical condition, get the approval of your doctor beforehand and pack extra supplies of any required medications.

Make an emergency checklist of necessary items for each potential situation and include accordingly.

Although an overnight trip may not be planned, pack as though it were, with extra clothes, food, water, a compass, blankets, a radio with batteries, flashlights, waterproof matches, and a whistle.

At the top of any emergency checklist should be a first aid kit.

While available in a variety of sizes and prices, you may wish

to assemble one at home, so you can tailor it to your specific needs.

Remember to pack all items in a waterproof container. Below are lists of essential and optional materials to include: • Essential: First aid manual, bandages, gauze, medical tape, knife, tweezers, scissors, pain reliever, antiseptic, antibiotic ointment, antacid, burn ointment, insect repellent, sunscreen, mirror, plastic gloves, pen/pencil, note pad.

• Optional: Ace bandage, antiallergy, anti-itch, anti-diarrhea medicine, children’s medications, thermometer, ice pack, irrigation syringe, sling, splint, snake-bite kit, bee-sting kit, saline solution.

These tips offer a good start to a safer outdoor adventure and may make the difference between a great trip and a potential disaster.

In November NOVEMBER 5

Cane Syrup Making Day

NOVEMBER 10-13

Dog Delight

The Decatur Kennel Club and the Huntsville Kennel Club come together each November for one of the largest area dog shows licensed by the American Kennel Club (AKC),

the Cotton Cluster Dog Show.

Ranging from novice to experienced, more than 1,200 dogs will compete for the best in breed. The event is held at Celebration Arena in Priceville.

For more information, call (800) 524-6181. Fee for participants only.

december 1-4

‘Letters’ for Christmas Union Springs’s Red Door Theatre concludes its ninth year with its Dec. 1-4 production of “The Christmas Letters.” Next year, the theatre plans to perform four Southern plays, including “The Passing of Pearl.” For more information, call 334-738-8687 or visit www. reddoortheatre.org.

Did you know?

In December 1919, the boll weevil monument is dedicated in Enterprise.

The monument honors the insect that killed cotton plants and forced local farmers to diversify by planting more profitable crops such as peanuts.

Even though the monument was in appreciation of the boll weevil, the weevil statue was not added to the monument until 30 years later.

Take the family to watch a 20th-century mule-driven cane mill and furnace make syrup the old-fashioned way at Rikard’s Mill Historical Park in Beatrice.

Stone ground grits and cornmeal will be available. The syrup will be ready by 1 p.m. with a limit of one jar per person. Monroe Sausage will be available for lunch.

Call 251-575-7433 for more information, or visit www.tokillamockinbird.com. Admission charged.

For more Alabama Events, visit page 29.

Timely Tips for Refinancing Your Home If you own your home and are paying a mortgage, one way you may be able to save money is through refinancing - particularly if you closed on your home many years ago. Only you can decide whether refinancing is a smart move, but here are some things to consider: • Refinancing will cost you money. There’s no way around this.

You’re either going to be charged closing costs to refinance, or you may be offered a “no-closing cost” deal. But don’t be fooled.

One way or another, you will pay for it, since no-cost transactions usually mean you’ll be charged a higher interest rate (than if you had paid your closing costs out of pocket).

• How long do you expect to stay in your current home? If you’re thinking about moving within the next two years or so, the costs involved may not justify refinancing.

• Think carefully before “cashing out.” It’s a popular move for people who refinance to take cash out of their home when they refinance. But your home is not an ATM - that money will have to be repaid sooner or later. And if home prices drop after you refinance, you could find yourself owing more on your mortgage than your house is worth.

• Check with your current lender before you commit to any refinancing deal. Chances are, you may be able to save yourself quite a bit of money on closing costs, while taking advantage of a lower interest rate.

“Calculate” your move carefully!

Alabama Living | NOVEMBER 2011 |

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Silent Sentinels Electric Co-op Poles Remain the Key to Safe, Reliable, Affordable Power

By Megan McKoy-Noe, NRECA

T

he path of power to your home is guarded by silent sentinels – utility poles – that are under constant attack by Mother Nature and, sometimes, by people.

“Nearly 70,000 miles of line, supported by utility poles, keeps power flowing to electric cooperatives across Alabama,” says Mike Temple, director of training and loss control for the Alabama Rural Electric Association (AREA).

Nationwide, electric cooperatives own and maintain 2.5 million miles of line stretching across threequarters of the U.S. landmass. Some lines are buried, but more than 2 million miles of lines are above ground. Since there are generally 18 wood poles for every mile of distribution line, electric co-ops rely on more than 37 million poles to safely and reliably deliver affordable power to your home.

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Pole Patterns

Double Duty

Utility poles take several forms: concrete, steel, Not only do poles support the nation’s power ductile iron, composite fiberglass and overwhelmingly, system; telecommunication companies often rent space wood. Why do utilities prefer treated timber? on poles to attach telephone and cable wires.

Tried-and-true wood poles are more affordable.

Each pole, averaging a height of 40 feet, breaks Steel and composite fiberglass poles often cost at least down into three zones. The supply space, which twice as much, although these alternatives claim a shuttles electricity from generation plants and longer lifespan (most have not been in service long substations to homes and businesses, can be found at enough to verify the claims). Combined with a proven the top of every pole. In most cases, a crossarm – a service life than can span several decades, treated beam fixed horizontally across the top of the pole wood poles provide the most affordable choice for – divides the supply space from the middle neutral most cooperatives. space, called a safe zone. The safe zone forms a “Generally, utilities turn to alternative poles when barrier between lines carrying high-voltage electricity nothing else will work,” says Temple. “If you’ve got a and the area rented to other utilities, known as the woodpecker problem, wood communications space. simply won’t cut it. Utilities in storm-saturated parts of Hazardous Mission the country may turn to Affordable wood poles underground lines, but more stand the test of time – each often than not these utilities pole’s lifespan ranges from 30 opt to ‘harden’ their lines by to 50 years, and in the right installing larger wood poles conditions, a wood pole can and shortening the span last much longer. To lengthen between poles to help the a pole’s life, wood is pressuresystem weather storms more treated with preservatives. successfully.”

But no matter how strong For utilities battling copper a pole may be, both nature crime, ductile iron poles offer and people threaten a pole’s an interesting option. They ability to serve. eliminate the need for copper Wood poles battle a wide grounding wires running array of adversaries: acidic up the side of a pole. But soil in the Midwest, heavy these poles aren’t as easy to moisture in the South and woodpeckers in the Midclimb in a pinch, and could Atlantic. Utilities generally pose a problem if not easily inspect poles on a 10- to 12accessible by bucket truck. year cycle to identify potential “Co-ops expect poles problems. are going to last at least Poles age differently 40 years in the field, depending on region, so RUS barring unpreventable A lineman rebuilds a storm-damaged pole in Alabama divided the nation into five storm damage and other decay zones. Coastal Alabama accidents,” says Jim Carter, falls in Zone 5, where poles sustain the highest risk. executive vice president for Wood Quality Control Utilities generally replace 2 to 3 percent of aging and (WQC), a subsidiary of the National Rural Electric decaying poles every year.

Cooperative Association. WQC estimates cooperatives Natural decay, storm damage, and bird and bug are responsible for between a quarter to a third of the attacks aren’t the only concerns. People shorten a nation’s annual wood pole production. pole’s lifespan, too.

Each year, electric co-ops spend roughly $300 The National American Wood Council estimates million to purchase close to 1 million wood poles 5 percent of poles replaced annually were broken and 2 million crossarms, amounting to a whopping by car accidents. Attaching signs, basketball hoops, 20 to 33 percent of a co-op’s annual materials clotheslines, birdhouses, satellite dishes, or other items budget. WQC, created in 1982, works closely with to wood poles with staples or nails also can shorten a both manufacturers and co-ops to monitor pole pole’s lifespan. Not only do these items create safety construction conditions and make sure co-ops invest hazards when lineworkers need to climb a pole; the in high-quality poles that meet strict federal Rural small incursions speed a pole’s decay.d Utilities Service (RUS) standards.

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Alabamian Kelly Ingram was the first enlisted man in World War I to win the Congressional Medal of Honor

The state Department of Archives and History is reviving an effort to commemorate Alabamians who served in World War I

By John Brightman Brock

T

“It’s one thing to read that of the 95,000 Alabama servicemen in World War I, 643 were killed in action and 2,500 died as a result of wounds, accidents or disease. But when you read their stories, they become real. It’s not military history. It is the history of people. The people of Alabama.”

– Debbie Pendleton Assistant director for public services Alabama Department Archives and History

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he United States in April 1917 entered that era’s ultimate game changer – devastating World War I. Entire continents were pitted against one other. The way battles were fought changed rapidly, and horse and rider gave way to mechanized combat and trench warfare.

Less than two years later the war ended on Nov. 11, 1918, Armistice Day, which was later renamed Veterans Day in the United States. With Europe’s landscape now a wasteland, it meant an end to the killing that claimed 13 million soldiers, an entire generation.

The ensuing celebrations around the world soon sparked an outpouring of memories. In Alabama handwritten letters attached to government response forms, and family and U.S. military photos, were compiled for a commemorative book publication. But that never happened.

Today, however, these tributes to personal sacrifice are still legible, and tell the story of the sons of Alabama who gave all to win “the war to end all wars.” They’ve been compiled by the Alabama Department of Archives and History (ADAH) into an exhibit titled Gold Star Photographs, and are on display at its Montgomery facility as well as online at Gold Star database. (See box.)

While looking through the exhibit recently, Debbie Pendleton, assistant ADAH director for public services, was overcome with emotion as she read the letters aloud. Herself a mother, her pauses

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came with the realization that these words many times were penned against the backdrop of battlefields in France, and had been read by grieving mothers back home. Conveying this history, Pendleton shared several entries in the exhibit, chosen as a representative sample of the nearly 1,000 men named in the ADAH exhibit she calls “my boys.”

The Rural Farmer

Leon McGavock. His story was particularly gut-wrenching because he survived many battles only to die from illness. His mother, Belle McGavock of Birmingham, donated her son’s last letter home, written Oct. 6, 1918, to Alabama’s archives.

“I suppose the part that gets me every time is this...” Pendleton says, quoting McGavock’s letter, “... my next birthday I will spend at home and we will have one grand time too.”

In the fall of 1918, the Great Influenza Epidemic was everywhere. Two days after his break from action he took a bath, and on Oct. 15, 1918, McGavock got the flu and pneumonia, and died in France. His letter finally arrived.

“One I’m particularly taken by Leon McGavock was a rural farmer (1894-1918),” Pendleton says. “He died Nov. 7, Son of a Slave four days before the armistice William Dumas, an African was signed.” He was William American from Wilcox County, Jesse Gunnell from Blount County. was a farmer born in 1886. He His photo shows him in uniform eventually went to Mobile and surrounded by pennants and flags worked as a boilermaker. He was from the era, with “U.S.” and not drafted in 1917 because of his “Old Glory” prominent. employment status. But His mother, Viola Gunnell of eventually he couldn’t Dearest of Mot hers: Altoona, when asked her son’s escape the draft.

I guess you th ink I am dead bu occupation, wrote: “He was “In August, he’s drafted t I am far from it though I ha ven’t a farmer – though weakly, a to Camp McClellan written you in weeks but I ju st grade A hand on the farm at (later Fort McClellan) couldn’t for 4 weeks have been on any hard work.” She related and goes there to get the move. Well Mother dear I have that her son had served in a training,” Pendleton says. been through a living hell & cam e out machine gun company, and “He gets the flu at camp, without a scra tch I know th at it was “went over the top three dies at Camp McClellan your prayers th at did it. times (in heavy battle). ‘The and never even leaves I was eight da ys in the trench es & corporal wrote that our the state. Of the 12 men went over the to p. ... I got your boy Jessie was wounded letters featured in the Gold Star & trench mirror & will do as yo u say ... from which he died exhibit, he’s the only one ... you didn’t sa y why I never go t your soon after.’” She quotes his that had a child.”

4 letters & Fred die’s (his girl)...

Gee, lieutenant: ‘He was a model His photo was taken in but I want to hear from her.

I keep soldier, always on the spot a portrait studio prior to waiting & waiting but no letter. Te when needed.’” Pendleton his military service. “It’s an ll her to write for I need a letter fr om her couldn’t escape the irony amazing thing that when so bad. Oh! bu t if I could on ly see “when you view the photo his family sent it in, they you & her. I w ould just squee ze her of the skinny little guy in also sent in a photograph of to death. uniform standing tall and him when he was a toddler, We are back in rest billets & I am proud.” at 2 years old,” Pendleton glad too. Just think I took m y first Gunnell died in France. says. It’s taken about 1888 bath yesterday in 4 weeks and I know

in a field in Wilcox County I’ll get a cold getting all that dirt off A Loving Son with five generations of me.

“Part of what makes history so amazing is that we have a picture, biography and a letter he sent his mother,” Pendleton says, speaking of Birmingham resident

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By the way tom orrow I am 25 yrs. old and my next birthday I will spend at home and we will have one gr and time too.”

Your loving son Leon

women from his family, one of them his mother, Savannah Campbell Dumas, whose husband was a slave as a child. “Three of those ladies were probably born in slavery,” Pendleton says.

Dumas at age 2, with other family members in Wilcox County, circa 1888

Medal of Honor Hero The most easily recognized name in the Gold Star exhibit is that of Osmond Kelly Ingram of Birmingham. Ingram, for whom Kelly Ingram Park in Birmingham is named, was recognized as the first enlisted man from the United States killed in action in WWI. “He tried to intercept a torpedo coming to his ship from a German submarine,” Pendleton says. He

was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism in the sea battle of Oct. 15, 1917. It was his second enlistment, his mother Naomi Elizabeth Lea Ingram wrote, after he first “enlisted at the age of sixteen years on Nov. 24th 1903.”

Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels wrote Ingram’s mother, praising his selflessness: “Ingram sighted the torpedo coming, and realizing that it might strike the ship aft in the vicinity of the depth charges he ran aft with the intention of releasing the depth charges before the torpedo could reach the (USS) Cassin.”

William Dumas always wear a red poppy on their suits. I told him it’s an Armistice poppy. When I was young, people in November would sell these commemorative poppies going back to WWI... and the poppy fields in France.”

The idea for a Gold Star Book commemorating Alabama’s World War I dead dates back to 1921 and Archive Director Marie Bankhead Owen “Even today, you’ll see a little star (on houses designating a son in the military),” Pendleton says.

“It was started in WWI to have in windows to show a son in the service. And when they died, the gold star replaced the blue.”d

A Time of Sacrifice

Kelly Ingram

You can’t help but get emotionally attached to these boys, these mothers and this time of sacrifice for Alabamians, according to Pendleton, who has worked with ADAH for 26 years.

“WWI is a forgotten war,” Pendleton says. “Most people don’t think about it. My son is 18, and one reason I got emotional when looking at this. He is a big fan of English soccer, and they

To access the Archive’s Gold Star database, log on to: http://www.archives.alabama.gov/ goldstar/search.cfm

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“Co-ops are vital partners in promoting economic development projects, marketing rural Alabama and keeping agribusiness interests up to date on current legislative affairs.”

– John McMillan

Tough Times, Bright Future Ag and Industries Commissioner John McMillan likes a good challenge

By Katie Jackson

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H

arvest season is here, but what does the year and the future look like for Alabama farmers?

A mixed bag, says Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries Commissioner John McMillan, who took office this past January and immediately faced some big challenges, both internally and externally.

Luckily, challenges are McMillan’s forte.

A Baldwin County native, McMillan’s family has lived and worked the land in Alabama for six generations. His own career has been spent working in the agricultural and natural resource sectors, and he ran for the commissioner’s office on a platform that included safe food and water, rural and economic development and renewable energy.

All of those and many more issues are still the focus of McMillan’s efforts, but his first task as commissioner was dealing with drastic budget cuts in his office.

“It’s been difficult primarily because of the fiscal situation and cutbacks

| NOVEMBER 2011 | www.alabamaliving.coop

we have had in personnel, particularly in light of the fact that we had to do that almost immediately upon taking office and did not have time to analyze our needs and services,” he says.

But he and his staff members did deal with those budget issues and have developed what he believes is a leaner, but still effective organization that is working to fulfill the department’s mission.

Supporting farmers and consumers The Department of Ag and Industries is charged with supporting farmers and consumers in the state by providing programs and services that keep Alabama’s food supply safe and abundant, helping to protect human and farm animal health and helping to promote Alabama’s agricultural, natural resource and economic interests.

Needless to say, internal budget cuts make achieving that mission more difficult, but that was not the only challenge McMillan faced during the past 11 months.

His office also dealt with tornado damage from last April’s storms, this summer’s drought and, more recently, the impact of Alabama’s new immigration law on farmers and agribusiness, to name a few.

McMillan and his staff helped clean up much of the agricultural damage wrought by the tornadoes, including helping dispose of 3.2 million chickens that were killed in the storms. They also helped coordinate other cleanup and assistance programs for storm-ravaged communities.

And then there is the drought, which McMillan says has devastated the corn crop in the lower part of Alabama, and other agricultural commodities across the state.

Alabama Living | NOVEMBER 2011 |

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Topping it all off is the new immigration law.

“I’ve got some real concerns about the potential impact of the new immigration law on farm labor, and we have already seen it,” says McMillan. “We do not support illegal immigrants, but we want to educate policy makers and legislators that migrant workers are highly important to agriculture.”

He cited the impact this law is having on poultry and plant nursery businesses as well as on cotton gins, peanut producers and producers of fruit and vegetable crops, noting that he is a strong proponent of developing an agricultural guest worker program for the state.

Despite all those challenges, however, McMillan is optimistic about the future of his organization and Alabama agriculture, noting that some of Alabama’s farm sectors are doing well despite difficult economic and weather conditions.

“It depends on what sector we are talking about at any given time,” he says. “Poultry is strong and growing, the green industry (forestry, sod and related crops) is doing well and it’s been a good year for most row crops.”

For those areas where rain did fall, McMillan said cotton, soybeans and peanuts look good and, with prices currently at record highs for corn and soybeans, those farmers who are making crops may have a good year.

What’s more, he said, Cullman and Baldwin counties are doing well with their sweet potato crops and the fresh produce market seems to be growing for smaller farmers, especially with the use of (greenhouse) hoop houses that allow farmers in colder areas of the state to lengthen their growing season.

Export market looks bright According to McMillan, the export market is another bright spot for Alabama that has great growth potential, particularly for the poultry, forestry and beef cattle industries.

Still, there is a lot of room for improvement. “We need more irrigation in Alabama,” he says. “This year is a perfect example because the only people who had really good corn crops had irrigation.”

“The No.1 question mark is what the weather is going to do, so finding ways to irrigate would be huge,” he continues. To that end, McMillan’s office is working with universities across the state and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management to come up with answers and push for legislation that could help farmers add more irrigation to their operations.

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| NOVEMBER 2011 | www.alabamaliving.coop

“Alabama could be a stronger state if we can make some strides with irrigation, but we also need to help smaller growers,” McMillan says. Smaller farms, says McMillan, are appealing to young people and retirees, and he is dedicated to encouraging and supporting those potential farmers through a mentoring program and other activities.

Among those activities is promotion of Alabama grown and made products through his department’s collaboration with the Buy Alabama’s Best campaign, a program run in conjunction with the Alabama Grocer’s Association aimed at increasing awareness and sales of Alabama food products.

“There are close to 50 companies participating in this campaign,” notes McMillan. The program includes everything from Milo’s tea to Wickles Pickles.

Co-ops are important McMillan also believes that cooperatives are important to the future of the state. “Co-ops are vital partners in promoting economic development projects, marketing rural Alabama and keeping agribusiness interests up to date on current legislative affairs,” he says.

And there is a special niche in agriculture and rural Alabama for electric cooperatives. “From their creation, electric cooperatives have provided the energy to make agriculture Alabama’s largest industry,” he says, noting that the industry generates some $5 billion annually for Alabama’s economy.

Internally, McMillan thinks his department has room to grow and expand and he is advocating a possible name change for the department to better reflect its impact on the state’s consumers.

“With our limited resources, it’s hard for us to build awareness but I would like to see the general public realize the importance of this agency,” he says.

“I see the glass as half full,” he adds. “There are challenges and opportunities, and one of the reasons I ran for this office is that I enjoy working to solve problems.”d

Alabama Living | NOVEMBER 2011 |

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Outdoors

Calling Tom Championship turkey calling returns to Mobile next March

By Alan White

Turkey calling is an art. Creating the various true sounds of wild turkeys can take a lifetime to master.

Although turkey-calling contests may not be as common as they once were, plenty of opportunity for competition still exists throughout Alabama.

The World Championship of Turkey Calling will return to Mobile on March 10 and 11, 2012, at the Mobile Convention Center in conjunction with the annual Mobile Boat Show. One expert caller will walk away with the title of world champion.

Past winners of this contest have appeared on national television shows, launched successful careers in call manufacturing and marketing, have been hired by outdoor gear companies like Pro Staff, and are sought after as speakers at turkey-hunting events throughout the United States.

Five experts judge the contest, and most of the judges are past champions themselves. The contestants are hidden from view of the judges and only the sounds they make are judged. Most of the best callers in the country will compete at this event but anyone who wants to compete, should pay the entry fee of $250 and join the contest. The entry fee goes up to $300 after Dec. 1.

Alabama has produced many world champions in the past. These include Eddie Salter, Ben Rogers Lee, Hannis Williams, Larry Norton and others. Eddie Salter, a resident of Evergreen and member of the Hunter Specialties Pro Staff, appears on television, radio shows and in magazines regularly. He is considered to be one of America’s top experts in the hunting industry.

Turkey calling while hunting the wild turkey involves many more skills than being able to make

Alan White is publisher of Great Days Outdoors magazine. To learn more, www.greatdaysoutdoors.com or call 800-597-6828.

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Champion turkey caller Eddie Salter of Alabama the correct sounds. You must know when to call, how often to call, how loud to call, when to shut up, where to call from, when to move, when to be still as well as woodmanship skills in finding the roosting locations and scouting the regular travel paths of certain gobblers. Competing in the wild and trying to outwit a mature, wild tom turkey in Alabama is a whole different category than just calling.

The difficulty in hunting wild turkey is the one reason that some of us love it so much. But beware: Wild turkeys are the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter what genetic match may have occurred in your ancestral line or how much money you have in the bank, the wild turkey will put you back in your proper place when it comes to your status in the natural world. In fact, he will sometimes shame and embarrass even the most skilled hunter.

If you’d like to compete in the World Champion Turkey Calling Contest or would like more details, call Dan Miller at 251-377-7045. Let’s support this national event and keep it at home in Alabama. We hope to see you there.d

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

NOV 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

- - 12:46 02:31 08:46 09:46 10:31 11:16 - 08:01 08:46 09:31 10:31 11:16

04:01 05:16 06:31 07:46 03:46 04:46 05:31 06:31 07:16 12:31 01:16 02:01 02:31 03:16

10:01 12:01 07:46 12:46 08:16 01:31 02:01 09:01 02:31 09:46 03:16 10:31 03:46 11:01 04:31 11:46 12:01 05:01 12:46 05:46 01:31 06:16 02:31 07:01 03:46 07:46 05:16 09:01

DEC. 1 - 04:01 06:46 12:01

2 - 05:01 07:46 12:31

3 01:46 06:16 01:16 08:31

4 07:46 03:16 01:46 09:01

5 08:46 04:16 02:16 09:31

6 09:31 05:01 02:46 10:01

7 10:16 05:31 03:16 10:46

8 10:46 06:01 03:46 11:16

9 11:31 06:31 04:16 11:46 10 - 07:16 12:01 04:46 11 07:46 12:16 12:31 05:16 12 08:16 12:46 01:16 06:01 13 09:01 01:31 02:01 06:31 14 09:31 02:01 03:01 07:31 15 10:01 02:46 04:01 08:31 16 10:46 03:31 10:31 05:31 17 04:16 11:31 - 06:46 18 12:46 05:31 12:01 07:46 19 07:01 02:46 01:01 08:46 20 08:31 04:16 01:46 09:31 21 09:31 05:01 02:31 10:16 22 10:31 05:46 03:16 11:01 23 11:16 06:31 04:16 11:46 24 - 07:16 12:01 05:01 25 07:46 12:16 12:46 05:46 26 08:16 01:01 01:31 06:16 27 08:46 01:31 02:16 07:01 28 09:16 02:01 03:01 07:46 29 09:46 02:31 08:46 04:01 30 10:16 03:01 10:16 05:01 31 03:31 10:46 - 06:16

Alabama Living | NOVEMBER 2011 |

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Alabama Gardens

LEAFY COMPOST Autumn leaves are a gardener’s gift of abundant organic fertilizer and mulch

By Katie Jackson If fall leaves are piling up in your yard, try not to think of them as a bother. Think of them as a gift. They are, after all, quite valuable in the garden, landscape and even in the home.

For example, leaves can provide free nutrients to your yard if you run over them with a mulching mower and let them decompose into the lawn as an organic fertilizer. If your leaf supply is too large to make that a feasible option, use a bagging mower to collect them or run raked leaves through a chipper or shredder, then use them for mulch in garden beds, add them to the compost pile or turn them into leaf mold.

What is leaf mold? It’s a form of a “cold” compost that uses natural fungi, earthworms and other microorganisms, rather than heat, to decompose leaves into a fabulous soil amendment or mulch. And it is incredibly easy to make. Simply put moistened leaves in black garbage bags, poke holes in the bags for a little aeration, then seal the bags and let them sit. You can make leaf mold on a larger scale by building a wire or wooden enclosure, filling it with wet leaves and covering them with a tarp, plastic or even old carpet pieces.

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Be aware that cold composting takes longer than the usual “hot” method and you may need to wet the leaves occasionally as the year progresses, but little other maintenance is needed to make high-quality organic matter that can be used within a year or so as mulch or tilled into garden beds to build soil and help retain moisture.

If you want to leave leaves behind and dig in the dirt this month, now is a great time to plant garlic and shallots, trees, shrubs, vines, hardy annuals and spring-blooming bulbs.

It’s also a wonderful time to plant lettuce, other leafy greens and cabbage in cold frames.

Speaking of greens, I received a note from a reader asking why I did not mention collards in my September column on fall crops.

That was a huge oversight on my part and, though it’s a bit late to plant collards now, put them on your list for early spring planting.d

Katie Jackson is associate editor for the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station. Contact her at csmith@acesag.auburn.edu

Garden tips for

November

3 Clean and oil all yard tools and drain oil and gas from lawn mowers and other garden power tools before storing them for the winter.

3 Mulch strawberries and blackberries as well as tender perennials.

3 Begin transplanting dormant shrubs and trees.

3 Plant seeds for springblooming annuals such as poppies, sweet peas, larkspurs, pansies and bachelor buttons.

3 Fertilize shade trees.

3 Store pesticides in a frost-free location and make sure they are in sealed containers. Label all containers so you know exactly what chemical you are storing!

3 Soil test and start adding amendments to improve your soil quality.

3 Pot spring blooming bulbs for winter forcing.d

Alabama Living | NOVEMBER 2011 |

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Songwriter Celebration Follow the crowd to Alabama’s Gulf Coast in November for the Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Festival

A

lmost everyone who has visited Alabama’s beaches or their next-door neighbor Perdido Key, Fla., has at least heard of (if not visited) the FloraBama, the Gulf Coast’s most iconic dive bar. This conglomeration of shacks, decks and tents set right on the sugar sand straddles the Florida/Alabama state line and is famous for its Bushwhackers, demographically diverse patrons

Songwriter Sonny Throckmorton

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By Jennifer Kornegay and the musicians that grace its stages.

So when a group of area residents decided to give a name to their fledgling music fest, it seemed appropriate to look to a Flora-Bama legend, Frank Brown, for the honor.

Brown was the unassuming, but extremely effective, night watchman at the Flora-Bama for 28 years. He wore two revolvers slung low on his waist, but never needed to use them. Often his gentle question, “What would your mamma say?” was enough to calm any brewing strife. His great joy in life was listening to and meeting the many musicians who came to the Flora-Bama to play. He finally retired at age 91 and died in 1988 at 93. The festival took his name after he passed.

This year, thousands will venture to the coast well after “beach season” is over for the 27th Annual Frank Brown International Songwriters’ Festival Nov. 10-20 to hear more than 200 songwriters – some already famous, some soonto-be – perform over 11 days in a variety of venues scattered around Pensacola, Perdido Key, Fla., Orange Beach and Gulf Shores,

including LuLu’s, and, of course, the Flora-Bama.

Coordinator of the Festival Lori Crace explains the impetus of the event. “Locals started it as a celebration of the end of the tourist season,” she says. “But after a few years, it became evident that the festival could draw some visitors back during the slow time.”

Mickey Newbury was one of the festival founders, and may be best know for writing “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)” which was recorded by Kenny Rogers. He recently passed away and a tribute to his long, successful songwriting career will be one of the highlights of this year’s events.

The purpose of the event is to showcase all the songwriters in attendance, not just those that have already made it big. And even that group may not include names you instantly recognize – but you will recognize their songs.

Many have written hit after hit for other musicians to record. Hearing those who actually wrote these tunes perform them is part of what makes this festival unique.

“We have so many incredible

F

wwowr ticke .fra ts and nkb mo row re i nso nform ngw ati rite on, v rs.c isit om songwriters here,” Crace says.

“Often, you have heard their songs on radio, and it’s interesting to learn that they were not written by the person singing them.”

She gives an example: “You might think when Rodney Atkins is singing his popular country song ‘Cleaning This Gun,’ he is singing about his daughter, but it was actually written by Casey Beathard and Marla CannonGoodman, and it was about Marla’s dad, so it was neat to see the other side of that.”

Crace believes people feel a special affinity for the Frank Brown fest thanks to the way it is carried out. “I’ve been producing music festivals for almost 10 years, but this one is much different,” she says. “It is held in more intimate venues and there is more connection between the artists and the audience.”

John Edd Thompson is a songwriter in Mobile who has been involved with the festival for more than 25 years, and he echoes Crace. “It’s just good fun,” he says. “After the shows are done, sometimes a bunch of the songwriters all end up hanging out and writing songs, so

Songwriters Cass Gove and Sam at Lulu’s in Gulf Shores enjoy their experience, so do the musicians. “Among the songwriters that come, there is a feeling like family reunion,” Crace says. “No other place brings this many songwriters together at once; it is the premier event of its kind. There’s such a sense of camaraderie that’s unlike anything at any other music event.”

For the up-and-coming songwriters, the event can prove quite valuable. “The Nashville Songwriters Association is holding a songwriters’ workshop on the second weekend that shares some wisdom on the business side of songwriting,” Crace says. “It’s really great for aspiring and new writers, and it is great to see how welcoming and encouraging the professional songwriters are with the newcomers.”

It’s easy to imagine Mr. Frank (as he was known to most) smiling down on the coast each November and tapping his foot to the music he so loved to hear.d

some songs that end up getting recorded were written down at our beach.”

Approximately 18,000 visitors attended the festival last year from 304 ZIP codes in 32 states and four foreign countries, and it has been named one of the Top 20 events in the Southeast by the Southeastern Tourism Society. The songwriters too come from all across the country, although many hail from Nashville, ground zero for American songwriters. “The festival brings the real cream of the crop of songwriters,” Thompson says. “They are the best in the country.” Guys like Wayne Carson, who wrote “You are Always on My Mind,” for Willie Nelson and “The Letter,” recorded by The Box Tops (and many more), are usually at the event, as is Jim McBride, who has written for Waylon Jennings and Conway Twitty and penned several of Alan Jackson’s No.1 songs including “Chattahoochee.”

While attendees obviously

Alabama Living | NOVEMBER 2011 |

25

Alabama Recipes Casseroles

Cook of the Month

Chili Cornbread Bake Chili: 1 pound ground beef 1 cup onions, chopped ½ cup green bell pepper, chopped 1 garlic clove, minced

Cornbread: 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 cup yellow cornmeal 2 tablespoons sugar 3 teaspoons baking powder ½ teaspoon salt

Carol Kelley, Central Alabama EC

1 15.5-ounce can Light Red Kidney Beans, drained and rinsed 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce 1 packet taco seasoning mix

1 8.5-ounce can cream style sweet corn ½ cup milk 1 egg 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

I was born and raised in the South, so I’ve always known the dish most people refer to as a “casserole.” I associate it with family reunions, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, and any kind of get together where a side dish is needed. However, sitting down to write my column this month, I started to wonder if there was a standard definition of the dish. In doing some simple research I have come to the following conclusion: A casserole can be the food itself or the vessel in which the food is cooked. It can also be referred to as a “bake” like the title of our Cook of the Month recipe. Ingredients usually consist of pieces of meat, chopped veggies, a starchy binder and a crunchy topping.

The oven magically transforms these ingredients into a dish tastier than the sum of its parts. Pretty simple, right?

You could win $50!

If your recipe is chosen as the cook-of-the-month recipe, we’ll send you a check for $50!

Upcoming recipe themes and deadlines are: January Vegetarian November 15 February Hot Beverages December 15 March Hot off the grill January 15

Please send all submissions to: Recipe Editor

P.O. Box 244014

Montgomery, AL 36124 or e-mail to: recipes@areapower. coop.

Be sure to include your address, phone number and the name of your cooperative.

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Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart casserole dish.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef, onions, pepper and garlic until meat is browned, drain. Stir in beans, tomato sauce and taco seasoning, mix. Reduce heat, simmer 10 minutes. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup, level off. In a medium bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt; mix well. In a small bowl, combine corn, milk and egg; beat well. Add to dry ingredients; stir until just moistened. Spoon half of cornbread mixture into greased casserole dish; sprinkle with half the cheese. Spoon chili over cheese; sprinkle with remaining half of the cheese. Spoon remaining corn bread mixture evenly over cheese, spreading gently to cover. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until top is golden brown. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Serves 8.

Cranberry Casserole

2 or 3 red apples 1 package fresh cranberries 1 cup sugar

1 stick butter or margarine, melted 1½ cups oats 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup pecans, chopped

Chop apples into small pieces, leave peeling on. Add cranberries and sugar, mix well. Put into a buttered 8x8inch baking dish. In another bowl add melted butter, oats, brown sugar and pecans, stir well. Spread mixture on top of cranberry mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-60 minutes.

Makes a great substitute for cranberry sauce.

Elaine Wagoner, Central Alabama EC

| NOVEMBER 2011 | www.alabamaliving.coop 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.

Fresh Squash Casserole

3 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, chopped 2 pounds zucchini squash, sliced 2 pounds yellow squash, sliced 3 eggs

½ cup half and half 1 teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves ¼ cup Panko breadcrumbs ¼ cup Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, finely grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet. Add onion and garlic, cook 2 minutes. Add zucchini and yellow squash. Cover and cook over medium heat 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. With a slotted spoon, transfer mixture to a buttered 2-quart casserole dish. Combine eggs, half and half, salt, pepper and thyme. Pour over squash and mix well.

Bake 35 minutes. Remove from oven and top with Panko and cheese. Place under broiler and broil until brown, 3 minutes.

Apple/Sausage/Sweet Potato Casserole 1 pound pork sausage ¼ cup water 1 23-ounce can sweet potatoes, drained and thickly sliced

Form sausage into patties, brown in skillet; drain. Place patties in bottom of ungreased 2-quart casserole dish. Add water. Layer potatoes over patties. Sprinkle with sugar, dot with ½ the butter. Cut unpeeled apples into ½-inch slices; layer over all. Dot with remaining butter. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover, bake an additional 15 minutes.

Mary Nell Roberts, Joe Wheeler EMC

Herbed Vegetable Casserole

Louis Gallups, Central Alabama EC

Seafood and Artichoke Casserole

1 14-ounce can artichokes, drained 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails removed 1 pound white backfin crabmeat, picked over for shell bits 4½ tablespoons butter 4½ tablespoons allpurpose flour

1½ cups half and half 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce ¼ cup dry sherry Juice of ½ lemon Salt and white pepper, to taste 1⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper ¼ cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated 1 teaspoon paprika

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart baking dish.To cook the shrimp, bring a pot of water to boil. Drop in shrimp and cook until they turn pink. About 3 minutes. Drain well.

Arrange the artichokes in a baking dish. Spread the shrimp and crabmeat over the artichokes. In a large heavy sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour to make a smooth paste. Cook and stir for 5 minutes. Slowly add the half and half, cooking and stirring constantly until thickened and smooth. Stir in Worcestershire sauce, sherry, lemon juice, salt, white pepper and cayenne pepper. Pour over ingredients in the baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and paprika. Bake for 20 minutes, serve hot with rice.

Betty Green, Baldwin EMC

¼-1/2 cup packed brown sugar ¼ cup butter 3 medium apples (red cooking variety), cored

5 new potatoes, washed and cut in ¼-inch slices ¼ cup margarine 1 teaspoon dried sage 1 teaspoon dried tarragon 3 sweet bell peppers, diced

1 onion, thinly sliced ½ cup uncooked long grain rice 3 medium zucchini, thinly sliced 4 medium tomatoes, sliced 1 cup Swiss cheese, shredded

Lightly coat a 2 ½ quart casserole dish with cooking spray.

Arrange half the potato slices in overlapping rows. Dot with half the margarine. Sprinkle with half the sage, tarragon, peppers, onion, rice and zucchini. Dot with remaining margarine and repeat layering. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 1 ½ hours or until potatoes are tender. Remove cover and top with tomatoes and cheese. Bake 10 minutes until tomatoes are warm and cheese is melted. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

Sara Sallas, Central Alabama EC

Carrot Casserole

8 cups sliced carrots 2 medium onions, sliced 5 tablespoons margarine, divided 1 cup cream of celery soup

1 cup shredded cheese 1 cup seasoned croutons ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon pepper

Boil carrots until tender crisp. Sauté onions in 2 tablespoons margarine. Stir in soup, salt, pepper and cheese. Drain carrots and add to the onion mixture. Pour into 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with croutons and drizzle with remaining margarine. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Brandon Henderson, Southern Pine EC

Alabama Living | NOVEMBER 2011 |

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Chicken and Dressing Casserole

Kodiak Casserole

6 cup crumbled cornbread ½ stick melted margarine 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped 6 pieces broken loaf bread 1 medium onion, chopped 1 cup celery, chopped 6 eggs, beaten slightly

1 can chicken soup, undiluted 1 can cream of celery soup, undiluted 3 10 ¾-ounce cans chicken broth Salt and pepper, to taste 1 tablespoon sage 4 tablespoons poultry seasoning

Sauté celery and onion in margarine. Mix with all the other ingredients in a large bowl. Pour in a 9x13-inch casserole dish. Bake at 375 degrees until lightly brown, about 40 minutes. (Can omit chicken and serve sliced chicken on top of dressing.) Serve with hot giblet gravy.

Giblet Gravy ½ pound cooked chicken gizzards, chopped ½ pound cooked chicken livers, chopped 1 egg

3 tablespoons flour 3 cups chicken broth ½ cup milk Salt and pepper, to taste

Dorris Chitwood, Joe Wheeler EMC

Zucchini Casserole

1 package Stove Top Stuffing mix (dry, not prepared) 1 stick butter 3 cups zucchini (or other summer squash), cubed 1 pint sour cream

1 can cheddar cheese soup (or 1/2 pound Velveeta melted in 1/2 cup milk; cheddar cheese soup is preferred) 1 cup onion, chopped Pinch of garlic salt Salt and pepper, to taste

Melt butter and mix all ingredients together. Put in 9x13 (or 2-quart round) baking dish & bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.

Serves: 8.

Sharron Howard, North Central MO Electric Cooperative (out-ofstate reader)

1 8-ounce jar picante sauce 1 18-ounce bottle barbecue sauce 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 3-4 cups medium egg noodles, cooked and drained 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Brown ground beef, onions and garlic; drain. Add remaining ingredients except cheese. Mix well and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with cheese just before serving. Serves 16-20, great for large groups.

Dorothy Sapp, Arab EC

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Combine livers and gizzards in chicken broth. In a small bowl, beat together raw egg, flour and milk with a wire whisk.

When well beaten, pour slowly into boiling broth. Let cook, stirring carefully, until well combined. If too thick, add more broth. Serve over dressing or hot rolls.

2 pounds ground beef 4 cups onions, diced 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 medium green peppers, diced 4 cups celery, diced 1 5 3/4-ounce jar stuffed green olives 1 4-ounce can mushroom pieces 1 10 ¾-ounce can condensed tomato soup, undiluted

6 ounces uncooked pasta, recommended: egg noodles ¼-1/2 small onion, finely chopped 1 can cream of chicken soup

1 large can chunk chicken, drained 1 cup milk Monterey Jack cheese Bread crumbs Butter

Cook pasta. Sauté onions in butter until tender. Combine all ingredients except cheese and bread crumbs in pasta pan. Pour into buttered casserole dish. Top with cheese and buttered bread crumbs. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees.

Linda Altman, Pea River EC

Mrs. Dye’s Cajun Casserole 1 pound raw hamburger meat 4-6 tablespoons Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning 1 pound Conecuh baby link sausage, sliced

1 large onion, chopped 1 cup uncooked rice 1 head cabbage, finely chopped 1 can Rotel, original

In an iron Dutch oven, layer all ingredients in order given.

Sprinkle the Creole seasoning all over the hamburger meat. Cook at 300 degrees for one hour. Remove from oven.

Stir. Return to oven and cook for an additional hour.

Want to see the Cook of the Month recipe before the magazine gets to your door?

Become a fan of Alabama Living on facebook.

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| NOVEMBER 2011 | www.alabamaliving.coop

Kim Johns, Covington 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.

Alabama Events North

Central Fredonia – Nov. 19

DeKalb County – Nov. 7

Fredonia Heritage Day

Point Clear – Nov. 19

Fredonia Community Clubhouse Fredonia Freedom Foods will have breakfast foods and lunches Vendor spaces and information: 706-207-2396 or 334-499-2380

Fall Festival

Baskets of Blessings

Wetumpka - Nov. 11 & 12

We will be delivering baskets with a complete Thanksgiving meal for families of DeKalb County.

We are accepting donations toward the baskets as well as family information who need this meal.

Contact Kelli Gardner at 256-572-3980 or Katie Patterson at 256-996-2608 Donations are needed by Nov. 7.

13th Annual “Home for the Holidays” Craft Show & Tasting Fair

Arab – Nov. 14

Montgomery – Dec. 2-4

41st Annual Arab Mothers’ Club #1 Holiday Bazaar

41st Annual Montgomery Gem, Mineral and Jewelry Show

Arab Rec. Center 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

All proceeds benefit the Arab City Schools.

Contact: Natalie Burke, 256-498-7435 or nataliejburke@ gmail.com Cullman – Nov. 18 & 19 Vinemont Band Booster Arts & Crafts Fair

Cullman Civic Center Fri. 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

Contact: Brandi Brown, 256-746-4579 VBBCraftshow@golfsupply.com Arab – Nov. 26 Christmas in the Park 5K and Fun Run

Arab City Park, 224 City Park Dr NW Registration - 8 a.m. , 5K - 9 a.m., 1 Mile Fun Run - 10 a.m., Awards - 10:30 a.m.

Registration Fee: $20 Course Certification Code: AL11037JD For information call (256)586-6074 or e-mail mjones@arabcityschools.org

Wetumpka Civic Center Fri. 9 a.m-7 p.m., Sat. 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

Tickets: $5, available in advance or at the door Contact: Patricia McCullers, 334-567-5785

Garrett Coliseum, 1555 Federal Drive Fri. 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Sat. 10 a.m.6 p.m., Sun. 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Admission: Free Contact: Jane Barkley, 334-277-2722 www.montgomerygemandmineralsociety.org Dadeville – Dec. 10 Tallapoosee Historical Society Annual Home Tour

10 homes, Tallapoosee Historical Society Museum and First Baptist Church 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Tickets: $15 advance, $10 at the door Contact: Will Ponder (home) 256-825-4492 or (cell) 334-201-0905 Pell City – Dec. 15 Magic City Choral Society Community Holiday concert

Pell City Center, 25 Williamson Drive – 7:30 p.m.

Free Admission Contact: 205-338-1974 or visit www.pellcitycenter.com.

Weiss Lake – Dec. 4 25th Annual Christmas Tour of Homes

Women’s Club of Weiss Lake 1 - 4:30 p.m.

Admission: Charged Contact: Chris Dendy, 256-779-2252

Ticket Information: 334-406-2787 www.CoffeeCountyArtsAlliance.com

South Enterprise – Nov. 6 Voices of the South Spirited, Moving Choral Music

First Baptist Church – 2 p.m.

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St. Francis at the Point – 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

Christmas decorations, bake sale, rummage sale and more Creola – Nov. 19

Dothan – Dec. 3 Downtown Christmas Festival

Downtown Dothan from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. www.thedowntowngroup.com For information call The Main event at (334) 699-1475 Daphne – Dec. 3 Jingle Bell Run for Arthritis 5K Run/Walk

Turkey 10 Miler & 5K Run/Walk

Dead Lake Marina – 8:30 a.m.

Contact: Port City Pacers, 251-473-7223

Old Towne – 8 a.m.

Contact: LRH Productions, 251-401-8039 Troy – Dec. 9 Shelia Jackson & Company

Enjoy the incredible voice of Troy’s own Sheila Fayson Jackson as she joins with a host of other local vocalists, dancers, and musicians to present her annual Holiday Spectacular.

Contact John Jinright at 334-670-3593 or e-mail jjinrig@troy.edu.

Pine Apple – Nov. 26

Andalusia – Dec. 9-11

16th Annual Hunter Appreciation Day Festival

The Nutcracker

9 a.m. - 4 p.m., 7 p.m. Big Buck Contest awards Admission: Free Information contact: 251-7462660 or 251-746-2293 www.pineapplealabama.com

Dixon Center for the Performing Arts Fri. 7:30 p.m., tickets: $25 Sat. 7:30 p.m., tickets: $12 Sun. 2: 30 p.m., tickets: $12 Contact: Alicia Morgan, 334-2226620 or info@andalusiaballet.com Point Clear – Dec. 10

Elba – Nov. 29 The International Tenors’ “A Three Tenor Christmas”

Elba High School – 7 p.m.

Ticket information: 334-406-2787 www.CoffeeCountyArtsAlliance.com Union Springs – Dec. 1-3 Christmas Letters

Red Door Theatre Dinner at 6 p.m. (reservations required); play is at 7:30 Contact: Tourism Council of Bullock County, 334-738-8687 or conecuhpeople@knology.net www.reddoortheatre.org

Holiday Half Marathon & 8K Run/Walk

Mullet Point Park – 8:30 a.m.

Contact: Port City Pacers, 251-473-7223 Frisco City – Dec. 16 & 17 2nd Annual “Christmas Comes Alive in Frisco City” Live Nativity Drive-Through

Frisco City High School practice ball field 6 - 8 p.m., both nights Hospitality tent and prayer tent, free bibles offered to all visitors Admission: Free Contact: Dell Walston 251-564-6427 or dellwals@frontiernet.net

To place an event, mail to Events Calendar, P.O. Box 244014, Montgomery, AL 36124; e-mail to calendar@areapower.coop. (Subject Line: Alabama Events) or visit www.alabamaliving.coop. 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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Classifieds Miscellaneous KEEP POND WATER CLEAN AND FISH HEALTHY with our aeration systems and pond supplies. Windmill Electric and Fountain Aerators. Windpower (256)638-4399, (256)899-3850

GATLINBURG / PIGEON FORGE LUXURY CABIN – 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, home theatre room, hot tub, gameroom – www.homeaway. com/178002, www.wardvacationrentalproperties.com, (251)363-8576

CRENSHAW FARMS ANTIQUE “2’ UNIQUE SHOP OPEN Nov. 5th - Dec. 17th. Exit 31 on I-65 Stockton exit. 251-577-1235 www. crenshawfarms.com

PANAMA CITY BEACH CONDO – Owner rental – 2BR / 2BA, wireless internet, just remodeled inside and outside – (334)790-0000, jamesrny@graceba.net, www.theroneycondo.com

FREE BOOKS / DVDs – Soon government will enforce the “Mark” of the beast as church and state unite! Let Bible reveal. The Bible Says, POB 99, Lenoir City, TN 37771 – thebiblesaystruth@yahoo.com, (888)211-1715

GATLINBURG, TN – Fond memories start here in our chalet – Great vacation area for all seasons – Two queen beds, full kitchen, 1 bath, Jacuzzi, deck with grill – 3 Day Special - Call (866)316-3255, www.hillshideaway.com

SAWMILL EXCHANGE: North American’s largest source of used portable sawmills and commercial equipment for woodlot owners and sawmill operations. Over 800 listings. THE place to sell equipment.

(800)459-2148, www.sawmillexchange.com

HELEN GA CABIN FOR RENT – sleeps 2-6, 2.5 baths, fireplace, Jacuzzi, washer/dryer – www.cyberrentals.com/101769 - (251)948-2918, email jmccracken@gulftel.com

NEW AND USED STAIR LIFT ELEVATORS – Car lifts, Scooters, Power Wheelchairs – Covers State of Alabama – 23 years (800)682-0658

PIGEON FORGE, TN – 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath house for rent $75.00 a night – Call Bonnie at (256)338-1957

INTERIOR WOODS: CYPRESS, CEDAR, HEART PINE, POPLAR, ASH - www.howardcustomlumber.net (251)847-2334

GULF SHORES / FT. MORGAN / NOT A CONDO! The original “Beach House” on Ft. Morgan peninsula – 2BR/1BA – Wi-Fi, pet friendly, non-smoking – $695/wk, (256)418-2131

DIVORCE MADE EASY – Uncontested, lost spouse, in prison or aliens. $179.00 our total fee. Call 10am to 10pm. 26 years experience – (417)443-6511

APPALACHIAN TRAIL – Cabins by the trail in the Georgia Mountains – 3000’ above sea level, snowy winters, cool summers, inexpensive rates – (800)284-6866, www.bloodmountain.com

ALL NATURAL 100% SOY CANDLES handcrafted right here in Alabama. Enjoy Fall with Cinnamon - vanilla - Pumpkin pie spice and many more Website: www.timbercreekcandles.com

FALL COLORS OF THE SMOKIES, in Wears Valley near Pigeon Forge, 3/2, All Conveniences. Brochure available – (251)649-9818

WALL BEDS OF ALABAMA / ALABAMA MATTRESS OUTLET – SHOWROOM Collinsville,AL – Custom Built / Factory Direct - (256)4904025, www.andyswallbeds.com, www.alabamamattressoutlet.com PORTABLE SAWMILLS – TURN YOUR LOGS INTO LUMBER. Quick, easy and affordable. Made in the USA. Call or email for your free catalog. www.cookssaw.com or call us at (800)473-4804 AERMOTOR WATER PUMPING WINDMILLS – windmill parts – decorative windmills – custom built windmill towers - call Windpower (256)638-4399 or (256)638-2352 CUSTOM MACHINE QUILTING BY JOYCE – Bring me your quilt top or t-shirts. Various designs offered – (256)735-1543

Business Opportunities WORK FROM HOME LIKE US! NO Sales – NO Home Parties – NO Risk - FREE Website. FREE Training and Unlimited Support. Visit www. mybugnbee.com for more information START YOUR OWN BUSINESS! Mia Bella’s Gourmet Scented Products. Try the Best! Candles / Gifts / Beauty. Wonderful income potential! Enter Free Candle Drawing - www.naturesbest.scent-team.com PIANO TUNING PAYS – Learn with American Tuning School homestudy course – (800)497-9793

Vacation Rentals PIGEON FORGE,TN: $89 - $125, 2BR/2BA, hot tub, pool table, fireplace, swimming pool, creek – (251)363-1973, www.mylittlebitofheaven.com KATHY’S ORANGE BEACH CONDO – 2BR/2BA, non-smoking.

Best rates beachside! Family friendly – (205)253-4985, www.angelfire.com/ planet/kathyscondo LONG BEACH MISSISSIPPI – NEW CONDO, beachside, sleeps 6 – Call (225)324-0973

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GATLINBURG TOWNHOUSE on BASKINS CREEK! GREAT RATES! 4BR/3BA, short walk downtown attractions! (205)333-9585, hhideaway401@aol.com

| NOVEMBER 2011 | www.alabamaliving.coop

ORANGE BEACH / GULF SHORES VACATION HOMES AND CONDO RENTALS – www.3palmsrentals.com for your next beach getaway. Great Rates! (251)980-7256 FT. WALTON BEACH HOUSE – 3BR / 2BA – Best buy at the Beach – (205)566-0892, mailady96@yahoo.com 1 BEDROOM CABIN NEAR PIGEON FORGE – $85.00 per night – Call (865)428-1497, ask for Kathy GULF SHORES BEACHSIDE CONDO available April thru December – 2BR / 2BA, No smoking / No pets – Call Owner (256)287-0368, Cell (205)613-3446, email: posey.martha@gmail.com ALWAYS THE LOWEST PRICE $65.00 – Beautiful furnished mountain cabin near Dollywood, Sevierville, TN – (865)453-7715 MENTONE, AL – LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN – billiard table, Jacuzzi, spacious home, sleeps 10 – www.duskdowningheights.com, (850)766-5042, (850)661-0678.

GULF SHORES RENTAL BY OWNER – Great Rates! (256)490-4025 or www.gulfshoresrentals.us GATLINBURG / PIGEON FORGE CABIN - Sleeps 8, full game room/ hot tub – (256)630-9122 www.vrbo/281154.com ORANGE BEACH, THE WHARF – Beautifully decorated 2BR / 2BA, penthouse level overlooking intercoastal canal – access to the Oasis pool – Owner rented (662)361-5150, jsnorris@hotmail.com GULF SHORES CONDO ON THE BEACH! 2BR/2BA - Beautiful update at SANDPIPER - (502) 386-7130 SMOKIES – TOWNSEND,TN – 3BR / 3BA secluded home and barn on Old Cades Cove Road. BRING YOUR HORSES – Toll Free (888)448-6036 GATLINBURG: THE MOUNTAIN LEAVES ARE AT THEIR PEAK NOW. Stay in one of our cabins or condos at a special rate of $199.00 for 3 days and 2 nights total ... also taking reservations at GULF SHORES and DAYTONA BEACH. Call Jennifer in Scottsboro at 800-314-9777. www. funcondos.com

ADVERTISING DEADLINES: January Issue – Nov. 25 February Issue – Dec. 25 $1.65 per word March Issue – Jan. 25

For Advertising, contact Heather: 1-800-410-2737 or hdutton@areapower.com - Subject Line: Classifieds

GULF SHORES CONDO – 2BR / 1.5BA, sleeps 6, pool, beach access – (334)790-9545 SMOKIES - TOWNSEND, TN – 2BR/2BA, secluded log home, fully furnished. Toll free (866)448-6203, (228)832-0713 ORANGE BEACH 3/3 – Water front view, beach access - $1,100 monthly – 3 months or more $1,000 – (225)753-0492, (225)933-6906

Travel CARIBBEAN CRUISES AT THE LOWEST PRICE – (256)974-0500 or (800)726-0954

Musical Notes

PENSACOLA BEACH CONDO - Gulf front - 7th floor balcony – 3BR/2BA, sleeps 6, pool – (850)572-6295 or (850)968-2170 GULF SHORES PLANTATION - Gulf view, beach side, 2 bedrooms / 2 baths, no smoking / no pets. Owner rates (205)339-3850

PLAY GOSPEL SONGS BY EAR - 10 lessons $12.95. “LEARN GOSPEL MUSIC”. Chording, runs, fills - $12.95 Both $24. Davidsons, 6727AR Metcalf, Shawnee Missions, Kansas 66204 – (913)262-4982

www.hideawayprop.com - CABINS IN PEACEFUL, CONVENIENT SETTING – Pigeon Forge, TN – (251)649-3344 or (251)649-4049

PIANOS TUNED, repaired, refinished. Box 171, Coy, AL 36435. 334337-4503

Education

GATLINBURG, TN CHALET – 3BR / 3BA Baskins Creek – Pool, 10 minute walk downtown, Aquarium, National Park – (334)289-0304 ORANGE BEACH CONDO, 3BR/3BA; 2,000 SQ.FT.; beautifully decorated; gorgeous waterfront view; boat slips available; great rates Owner rented (251)604-5226

FREE BIBLE CORRESPONDENCE COURSE – write to 23600 Alabama Highway 24, Trinity, AL, 35673

TOURIST CABINS 4 RENT BY OWNER – Pigeon Forge / Gatlinburg – Call for holiday quotes (865)712-7633

BECOME AN ORDAINED MINISTER correspondence study. Founded in 1988. Free info. Ministers for Christ Outreach, 7549 West Cactus #104207 Peoria, Arizona 85381. http://www.ordination.org

Critters

CABIN IN MENTONE – 2/2, brow view, hottub – For rent $100/night or Sale $239,000 – (706)767-0177 GATLINBURG – DOWNTOWN LUXURY CREEKSIDE CONDO – 2BR / 2BA, sleeps 6 – aubie12@centurytel.net, (256)599-5552

CHIHUAHUA PUPPIES. Tiny, registered, guaranteed healthy, raised indoors in loving home, vet records and references. (256)796-2893

HOUSE IN PIGEON FORGE,TN – fully furnished, sleeps 6-12, 3 baths, creek, no pets – (256)997-6771, www.riverrungetaway.org

ADORABLE AKCYORKY PUPPIES – excellent blood lines – (334)3011120, (334)537-4242, bnorman@mon-cre.net

Camping, Fishing & Hunting ANDALUSIA AREA RV CAMPGROUND FOR HUNTERS/ FISHERMEN - on Point ‘A’ Lake - Nightly, weekly & monthly rates Reservations (334)388-0342, theshac@shacrvpark.com, www.shacrvpark.com CAMP IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS – Maggie Valley, NC – www.trailsendrv-park.com, (828)421-5295.

Real Estate

www.walkersdogcollars.com – FREE NAMEPLATE WITH EACH COLLAR – Printed and attached.

Fruits, Berries, Nuts & Trees GROW MUSCADINES AND BLACKBERRIES , half dollar size – We offer over 200 varieties of Fruit and Nut Trees plus Vines and Berry Plants.

Free color catalog. 1-800-733-0324. Ison’s Nursery, P.O. Box 190, Brooks, GA 30205 Since 1934 www.isons.com

FOR SALE: GORGEOUS FURNISHED MOUNTAIN CABIN ON 2 ACRES IN MENTONE, AL - Call Lee Eidson at RE/MAX of Rome GA (706)346-1673, (706)232-1112 GATLINBURG TENNESSEE – 3 weeks deeded property – WESTGATE - $10,000 – phone (334)855-9344 2BR / 2.5BA IN PANAMA CITY BEACH, FL – Located approximately 1,150ft from the Gulf with beach access – Price $189,900.00 – (251)4907062 or email nibcor@aol.com BEAUTIFUL SOUTHERN LIVING HOME on 8 acres “with 68 more available”. Retire in scenic Northwest , AL near Red Bay in this 14 year old home complete with mother-in-law wing and huge front porch in the shade - forsalebyowner.com ID # 22890092 – (256)668-5671 MOUNTAIN TOP RETREAT – MENTONE, AL – 2BR / 2BA home on 13.3 acres overlooking 5 acre lake – Beautiful view - $185,000 – (256)6348017 NEAR ORANGE BEACH, near deep water, high elevation wooded homesites, big trees, restricted – Owner financing - $1500dn / $19,900, 5% - www.pinesofperdido.com MOUNTAIN VIEW HOME SITES atop Sand Mountain. Protective restrictions, www.pellsgap.com

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Marketplace

Solid Cedar Personalized Wooden Commemorative Football

Hand-made • Add your favorite photo• You decide the wording Three lines of personalization free • Regulation size football $99.95 + tax • Production for Fall 2011–500 units

Call Nu Image Engraving & Awards 256-355-3205 • Decatur, AL • Fax 256-355-3512 E-mail: nuimageawards@bellsouth.net

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Our Sources Say

WHO WILL PAY THE BILL? Every American deserves the right to have dependable, affordable power Last month I wrote about a conversation I had with a very nice lady about the amount of her monthly electric bill. She related she was disabled and had custody of her grandchildren. She was forced to find a cash-paying job to preserve her disability payments and make ends meet.

She summarized her situation by saying she was working to pay the electric utility to keep her power on so she would not lose custody of her grandchildren.

There are a number of people in the same situation. My research indicates that about 1 to 2 percent of PowerSouth’s members’ electric consumers have difficulty paying their monthly power bill and have their electric service disconnected (and most often re-connected) from time to time.

Those people are under constant pressure to keep their household bills current, feed and clothe their families, pay for gasoline to get to work (or look for work) and provide the basic necessities of life.

Maybe you know some of those people. Others have lost their jobs, can’t find work, are on disability or are retired on fixed incomes. My

Gary Smith is President and CEO of PowerSouth Energy Cooperative

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heart and yours goes out to the ones we know in these situations.

How do they get by month to month? What is their hope for the future?

All of which leads back to a couple of basic questions. Is electricity truly a necessity of life?

Should all Americans have access to electricity?

The answer to the first question is easy. Yes, electricity has become a necessity of life. It, along with running water, has become an essence of our lives and our lifestyles. Everything we have and do is either directly or indirectly attributable to electricity.

The second question is more difficult. As Americans, it is easy to say we should have access to the biggest and the best, and by and large we do – if we can afford it.

But what about those who cannot – those I talked about earlier that have difficulty paying their power bills from time to time? What about their necessities of life?

The question becomes even more difficult when we have a president who promised during his campaign that “electricity rates will necessarily skyrocket” and “we will increase the cost of fossil fuels to a level that renewable energy will be competitive.” Through Environmental Protection Agency policies and regulations, he is well on the way to fulfilling those campaign promises.

If that occurs as it appears it will, what about the poor – those having difficulty making ends meet now? With increasing electricity prices, the number of Americans having trouble paying their power bills will increase. Are those Americans to be written off as not important enough to have the benefit of affordable electricity?

Will they have to find another job to pay for the necessities of life? What will they have to do without to pay increasing electric bills? These are all very difficult questions that few people have considered.

I doubt you have considered those questions, even if you are on a fixed income. I think about those issues often, and I don’t know of any easy answers.

I wonder if our president has considered those questions. Will his answer be that electricity is such an essential element of life that it must be available to all Americans, and if an American can’t pay their power bill, then the government will? After all, those who control energy will control the world. Something to think about.

I hope you have good month.d

Our Sources Say

MEETING ENERGY NEEDS TVA works with your co-op to plan the future electricity needs of the Valley In March, TVA completed an Integrated Resource Plan to help evaluate how to meet the future power needs of the Tennessee Valley. It’s a big job – think about every power outlet in every home in the Tennessee Valley.

TVA and your cooperative must to plan to have enough energy available so that every outlet in every home and business has energy available should you need it. TVA and your cooperative work hard to make sure that the electricity needed to run your home or business is there at the very instant you need it.

Whether you are manufacturing auto parts, cooking for your family, or downloading an app for your smartphone, TVA and your local cooperative are quietly working behind the scenes so that you can live, work, and play without worrying about whether there is enough energy to go around.

However, the wide availability of electricity in our region is no accident. TVA and your cooperative work together to make sure that the supply of electricity is available where it is needed. We spend a lot of time thinking about how and where to make energy available Waymon Pace is general manager, customer service of the Tennessee Valley Authority in Alabama.

efficiency. The Integrated Resource Plan mentioned earlier is TVA’s roadmap to accomplish these objectives. I encourage you to review this document at www.tva. gov/irp.

Your home or business can take advantage of energy efficiency offers available from TVA and your cooperative by visiting our website at energyright.com.

As fall approaches and we tend to use less energy, compliments of milder weather, I hope that you also will appreciate the steady, reliable effort your Alabama cooperative makes to ensure that the energy you use is there when you need it.d

when it’s needed.

While the future is uncertain, we are sure that our economy will continue to rely upon the availability of low-cost energy. We also recognize the importance of being environmentally responsible so that future generations can enjoy Alabama’s communities as much – if not more – than we do today.

As the future becomes the present, TVA is determined to be one of the nation’s leading providers of low cost and cleaner energy by 2020. This vision means TVA plans to rely less on coalgenerated electricity and more on nuclear power and energy

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Alabama Snapshots 1

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Grandkids Submit Your Images!

January Theme:

“Grandkids Part II” Send color photos with a large self addressed 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. Alabama Living is not responsible for lost or damaged photos.

Deadline for: January 31

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1. Kinsley Parker and “Papa” Wendell Sullivan submitted by “Nana” Linda Sullivan, Milly 2. Holton Smith, Nathan Lee, Mikayla Smith, Madelyn Lewis, Jordan Lee and Jenny Lee submitted by “Grammie” Cindy Culpepper, Chelsea 3. Lauren Bailey and “Paw Paw” submitted

by Elaine Bailey, Opp

4. Logan, Dusty, Payton, Kael, James, Kacyn, Markus and Haylee submitted by Tammy Turner, Jackson 5. Diane and Stan Aaron with grandson Grayson of Bay Minette submitted by Beth Aaron, Bay Minette 6. Rian and Quin Foote submitted by Sharon Johnson, Brantley