March 2005
29
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
Member Newsletter
Middle Georgia
Middle Georgia
The Official Newsletter of Middle Georgia Electric Membership Corporation
P.O. Box 190, Vienna, GA 31092
March 2005
MANAGER'S
MANAGER'S
Comments
Comments
By Hugh Richardson
Survey results on
electricity usage
Percent using electricity as a
fuel source:
·
Heating: 61.8% (with 42.7% being
heat pumps)
·
Air conditioning: 91.6% (with 70.8%
being central units)
·
Water heater: 89.2%
·
Clothes dryer: 89.9%
·
Range/oven: 81.2%
Other information about the homes
and appliances:
·
Mobile homes:
16.4%
·
Dishwashers:
63.2%
·
Microwave ovens: 96.4%
·
Home computers: 55.8%
·
Well pumps: 82.3%
·
Pool pumps: 12.8%
In this area, electricity is the
choice over gas for the majority of
our members' heat sources. About
29.1 percent of our members use LP
gas for heating and 4.5 percent use
natural gas. Statewide, 47.7 percent
of the homes use electricity for heat-
ing compared to our 61.8 percent.
Natural gas is used more often in
homes located in the northern half
of the state.
Thanks to all of you who replied
to this survey. This information will
help us with our power planning for
the future and enable us to design
our rates and rebate programs to
serve our members the best.
ast year, many of you participated in a survey
about your home, appliances and electricity
usage. One thousand surveys were mailed out to
our residential members and 395 were filled out
and returned to us. Here are some of the results:
L
Survey results on
electricity usage
Blueberry Dumplings
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen and the Food
Network
Recipe summary
Difficulty: Medium
Prep. time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar, plus 1-1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/4 cup milk
1 quart fresh or frozen blueberries
2 cups water
Vanilla ice cream or fresh cream, for serving
Directions
Stir flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder and
salt together into a medium bowl. Cut butter into dry
ingredients, using a pastry cutter or fork. Add milk
to form dumpling dough. Set dough aside. In a large
saucepan, combine berries, 1-1/2 cups sugar and
water and bring to a boil. Drop dumplings into hot,
boiling berries by the tablespoonful. Cover pot,
reduce heat to low, and cook slowly for 20 to 30
minutes. Do not remove the lid before 20 minutes
has passed, and do not stir dumplings. Serve warm
with vanilla ice cream or fresh cream.
30
GEORGIA MAGAZINE
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
Mae Dawson's Hoosier Sugar
Cream Pie
Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen and the Food
Network
Recipe summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep. time: 10 minutes
Inactive prep. time: 3 hours
Cook time: 40 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1-1/3 cups sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, unsifted
1/2 pint (1 cup) whipping cream
3/4 cup milk
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie shell
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Pinch of nutmeg
Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine sugar,
flour, cream and milk in a mixing bowl. Pour into pie
shell. Dot butter bits all around top of pie. Sprinkle
with nutmeg. Bake for approximately 10 minutes,
then reduce the heat to 350 degrees and cook for
approximately 30 more minutes. Cool to room tem-
perature, then refrigerate until chilled. Serve chilled.
Cook's note: If using a glass baking dish, lower oven
temperature by 25 degrees.
Recipes
These desserts will put a "spring" in your step!
Recipes
March 2005
31
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
he U.S. Consumer Product Safety
Commission (CPSC), the Window
Covering Safety Council and independ-
ent retailers have joined forces to urge
consumers to repair or replace window
coverings purchased before 2001.
Strangulations can occur when young
children become entangled in the inner
or outer cord on the blinds or drapes.
"Most people don't think about these
cords as something that can harm their
child," says CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton.
"We continue to lose children in tragic incidents due to entanglement
and strangulation in older window-covering cords."
From January 1991 through August 2004, the CPSC received reports
of approximately 180 strangulation deaths involving cords and chains
on window treatments. Most strangulation deaths involved the outer
pull cords. At least 20 of these deaths involved the inner cords that run
through horizontal blinds.
Outer-pull cord deaths typically involve children from age 7 months
to 6 years old. Inner-cord deaths generally involve children ranging
from 9 to 20 months old who are placed in cribs or playpens located
within reach of window coverings. In all cases, the children became
inadvertently entangled and died from strangulation.
The window-covering industry has redesigned products to reduce
hazards such as loops in the cords or chains. The redesigns also
have featured permanently attached, tie-down anchors and built-in
cord stops.
Although redesigned, newer window coverings and repaired, older
ones reduce strangulation risks, they have not fully eliminated the dan-
ger. Long, dangling window cords and chains still pose a hazard.
Consumers should never tie window blind cords or chains together
because the knot creates a new loop in which a young child could
become entangled.
Consumers possessing window coverings purchased before 2001
can obtain a free repair kit from the Window Covering Safety Council's
Web site at www.windowcoverings.org, or by calling (800) 504-4636.
Individuals also can visit www.cpsc.gov to learn more about window-
covering safety.
T
The following are window-
covering safety tips offered by
the CPSC:
·
Move all cribs, beds, furniture
and toys away from windows
and window cords, preferably to
another wall.
·
Keep all window cords out of the
reach of children. Make sure that
tasseled pull cords are short, and
that continuous-loop cords are
permanently anchored to the
floor or wall.
·
To prevent inner-cord hazards,
lock cords into position when
lowering horizontal coverings or
shades.
·
Repair window coverings, cord-
ed shades and draperies manu-
factured before 2001 with retro-
fit cord-repair devices, or replace
them with today's safer products.
·
Consider installing cordless win-
dow coverings in children's bed-
rooms and play areas.
--Source: U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission
T
Warning to parents:
Old window coverings pose strangulation risk
Warning to parents:
Old window coverings pose strangulation risk
32
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
Board of Directors
Don Wood
President
Johnny Noble
Vice President
Kay West
Secretary
John David McCall
Treasurer
Jerry F. Rhodes
Director
Royce Conner
Director
Ronnie Fleeman
Director
Ronnie Youngblood
Director
David Dunaway
Director
Davis and Forehand
Attorneys
Staff
Hugh Richardson
General Manager
Lisa Laney
Executive Secretary,
Newsletter Editor
Randy Kent
Office Manager
Mike McGee
Manager of Operations
and Engineering
Vienna Area (229) 268-2671
Rochelle
(Day) (229) 365-2263
(Night) 1-800-342-0144
Hawkinsville
(Day) (478) 892-3436
(Night) 1-800-342-0144
Office Hours
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
(Branch offices closed from
12-1 p.m. daily)
Closed Saturday, Sunday and holidays.
There is a dispatcher on call 24 hours
a day for your convenience.
GEORGIA MAGAZINE
Years of Service recognition goes to Middle Georgia EMC's
employees who celebrated an anniversary in February 2005:
Gloy
Hobbs
, equipment operator, has been a faithful employee for six
years at Middle Georgia EMC.
Daniel Bloodworth
, equipment opera-
tor, has been as equally dedicated for two years.
We have an excellent group of employees at Middle Georgia
EMC and admire their dedication to their jobs and our members!
Charles Humphries retires
Charles Humphries
retired at the end of January 2005 after almost
32 years at Middle Georgia EMC. Charles began working at Middle
Georgia EMC on June 1, 1973.
Prior to this, he served in the Army in Vietnam and was awarded
the Purple Heart Medal of Honor for being wounded in action.
Now that he's
retired, Charles plans to
spend a lot more time
with his wife, Brenda,
and his family in
Hawkinsville. He is
also going to stay busy
doing volunteer work
for his church, Double
Branch Freewill Baptist
in Hawkinsville.
Years of Service Recognition
Years of Service Recognition
entral Georgia EMC in Jackson has
received information that someone repre-
senting himself or herself as a Central Georgia
EMC employee has been approaching resi-
dents at their homes. The individual
states that he or she is there to
see about moving power lines
or trimming trees and asks
the homeowner to come
around to the back to look
at the lines. Then, a second
person enters the home to commit a crime.
The individuals have been driving a plain
white truck and wearing plain white dress
shirts and dark slacks. They also speak with
extensive knowledge about electrical equip-
ment and procedures and produce false docu-
ments to gain the trust of their victims.
The management and staff at Middle
Georgia EMC would like to assure its members
that any employees from Middle Georgia EMC
who are on their property will have the
Middle Georgia EMC logo on their truck
as well as on their shirts and hats.
If you see one of our trucks or
any of our employees on your proper-
ty, please feel free to call our offices
at (800) 342-0144 and find out
what we are doing in the area.
We also recommend that you
become familiar with the Middle
Georgia EMC logo, and if you do not see it on
a truck or on the uniform of someone who
says he or she is from Middle Georgia EMC,
then chances are you could become the victim
of a scam artist.
Beware of scam artists!
C
Charles Humphries