Guest Chef: Alex Castro

Music Acts: Herb Trotman, Macey Taylor

www.foodandwine.com/best_new_chefs/james-lewis

A few summers ago, I would walk through our kitchen garden almost every morning. Like clockwork, a tiny winged friend that would nervously dance above a planting of dew-covered red salvia would join me. I had planted the salvia to attract the bees, which would help pollinate my veggies, but the little hummingbird ruled the airway in early morning. After tending the flowers for several minutes at a time, the feisty bird would perch and momentarily relax on top of a tomato cage and clean its long, sword-like beak on the metal wire.

To this day I can see the little bird’s jewel-like ruby throat and glistening green feathers shimmer in the morning sun. I saw it happen several times a week throughout the summer but never took it for granted. These hummers are amazing creatures that can become as prominent in the garden as the flowers they hover over.

Make Your Own Memory

Attract these tiny, acrobatic birds to your landscape using feeding stations, colorful flowers or both. They’re so fun to watch, and you’ll be surprised how vocal the bitsy birds can be. Place the feeders or nectar-producing plants where you can easily view them. In our busy, hectic world, we can be mesmerized and briefly forget about everything by watching one of God’s most amazing creations.

Fill-Up Feeders

Hummingbirds are attracted to color, so choose a colorful feeder or two to place around your garden. Make sure they’re positioned where they can be reached easily for filling and cleaning. Try to position them several feet from windows so the birds won’t fly into the glass.

You can buy solutions to mix and fill the feeders or make your own. To make sugar water, mix one cup of sugar with four cups of water. Then boil the solution for 30 seconds to reduce fermentation and mold. After filling the feeders, store the sugar water in the refrigerator for no longer than two weeks. Clean the feeders periodically to keep your feathered friends happy and healthy.

Plants for the Birds

Hummingbirds prefer tubular flowers. They seem to be drawn to most salvias. “Black and Blue” salvia is an easy-to-grow perennial that really attracts hummingbirds. It will produce beautiful blue blooms in sun or part shade. “Lady in Red” salvia is a sun-loving annual that blooms summer through fall and will usually reseed in the garden. For shady areas, plant impatiens, hostas or cardinal flower. Red honeysuckle is a wonderful climbing vine that draws the birds in like a magnet.
Put up feeders and plant colorful flowers and watch your garden come to life. The little birds will dive, dart and maneuver around your yard at high speed. They’ll make you happy, capture your imagination and add interest to your landscape. These humming beauties have an excellent memory, and once they find a food source, they’ll return to your garden throughout the summer. •

Originally posted at b-metro.com on Monday, May 14th, 2012.

In typical LaBute fashion, what follows is an outrageously funny and deadly serious portrait of the typical American male as he travels through the heart of hilarious darkness that is himself.

DIRECTED BY: Carl Stewart

STARRING: Cris Morriss (Guy), Talia Pepke (Sam), Holly Dikeman (Tyler), Lee
Ann Brown (Lindsay), and Kelsey Crawford (Bobbi)

Play runs from May 10-June 2

For Tickets

Call 328-0868

Best Farmer’s Market:

Pepper Place
2829 Second Ave. S. | pepperplacemarket.com

Part shopping, part socializing, Pepper Place Farmers Market is the place to be on a Saturday from April to October. Meet the farmers, meet your friends. Pick out some fruits, veggies and even a jar of honey. Have a cup of coffee and watch a local chef make your favorite dish. If you’re lucky, the kids will doze in the stroller.

Thanks, Birmingham, for choosing us as your Best Farmer’s Market!

Winner of Parent’s Choice

Birmingham Magazine, 2012

We will have only one access to the patio area.

We start at 11am and we finish at midnight

We have 2 DJs and 3 bands

DJ Stevo and DJ Coco (will be all day)

Erick Essex (smouth jazz) play at 12

Erin Mitchell (blues) play at 4:30

Audio Sketch (classic rock and Dance Music) play at 8pm

Beer Specials all day

Cantina Tortilla Grill
2901 Second Ave. South
Suite 110
Birmingham, AL 35233
(phone)205.323.6980
(fax)205.323.6968

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights: (all shows start at 8:00 pm, the theater opens at 7:30)

• May 10 – June 2 Some Girl(s), by Neil LaBute
• July 12 – August 4 Tuna Does Vegas, by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard

Special Event: TNT Fundraiser featuring SHIRLEY Q LIQUOR and Betty Butterfield.

All proceeds will benefit TNT and Birmingham AIDS Outreach.

• Friday June 15 (theater will open at 7:30 pm)
• Saturday June 16 (theater will open at 7:30 pm)

For tickets to Some Girl(s) and Tuna does Vegas, call 328-0868.

For tickets to the fundraiser, a credit card reservation is required and they need to call Robert Hill Antiques at 326-0088

Birmingham–If you’re out shopping this weekend and the store is suddenly inundated with customers, don’t be surprised. Birmingham is the latest city to experience a phenomenon called a “cash mob” As WBHM’s Andrew Yeager reports, supporters of the concept hope it’ll have people buying local.

Click here to read more.

Video: Charlie Thigpen’s Garden Gallery at Pepper Place is the site of Saturday’s Cash Mob.

Saturday, March 24, is National Cash Mob Day, and Birmingham will be supporting a local independent business along with dozens of other Cash Mob groups in cities across the country.  Participants of a Cash Mob agree to spend at least $20 with a local merchant and descend on one business within a short period of time to give the Owners a ‘mob’ of customers and a good sales day.

Charlie Thigpen’s Garden Gallery in Pepper Place is the site of Saturday’s Cash Mob from 9:00am – 11:00am.  Owners

Photo: Twisted bottletree with honeysuckles at Charlie Thigpen Garden Gallery.

Charlie and Cindy Thigpen are former employees of Southern Living, where Charlie maintained the show gardens for the magazine and Cindy managed marketing projects.

“Gardening is not about weeding, planting and watering,” says Charlie.  “It is about the experiences you have while gardening – the rainbow, the hummingbird, the fall branch that turns red, and all the little miracles.”

The Cash Mob is sponsored by local independent media Birmingham Mountain Radio and our sister-site ShopBirmingham.com.

“We’re thrilled to have Birmingham Mountain Radio to join us as a Sponsor of the Cash Mob.  They do so much great work in the community, and we’re looking forward to banding together with them to help local businesses right here in Birmingham,”  says Emily Lowrey, Founder of ShopBirmingham.com.

“We’re also pleased to be holding the Cash Mob at Charlie Thigpen Garden Gallery.  Charlie and Cindy are wonderful people who do so much to make Birmingham beautiful, and we hope that 25 people or more show up for the Cash Mob so they see a positive impact to their business on Saturday.  It is Spring Break week, so we appreciate anything you can do to help us spread the word.”

Co-Sponsors Birmingham Mountain Radio and ShopBirmingham.com also have some prizes to give away to lucky Cash Mobbers.  By participating, you’ll be registered to win: a pair of weekend passes to Secret Stages courtesy of Birmingham Mountain Radio; a pair of passes to see the Warren Haynes band in Tuscaloosa on April 12th courtesy of Birmingham Mountain Radio; a $25 gift certificate for Atmosphere Homes, a modern home decor shop in Pepper Place, courtesy of ShopBirmingham.com; and a pair of tickets to the Alabama Shakes show at WorkPlay on March 31st.

All participants will receive a free cup of coffee at Pepper Place coffee shop Red Cat immediately following the Cash Mob, courtesy of ShopBirmingham.com and Birmingham Mountain Radio.

Pepper Place Market also has a few farmers on-site during their off-season with fresh local vegetables, cheeses and other hand-crafted food items.

Previous sites for Cash Mobs in Birmingham have included Alabama Goods in Homewood and the Cook Store in Mountain Brook.

So what do you buy at a Cash Mob?  Charlie Thigpen Garden Gallery offers heirloom seeds and plants; garden-inspired arts, gifts and ornamentation; and educational courses.

Here are some of our favorite items:

• Heirloom seeds, $2.50.  Choose from more than 15 different types of seeds, including a Moon Flower that blooms
  Photo: Meditation gnome, $12.

  only at night.

• Thistle Farms body polish, $15.  This lavender-scented body scrub is a hot-seller, and proceeds go to help women who have had challenging life experiences.  We love the lip balm and shea butter in this line as well.
• Flying pig, $15.  A terracotta flying pig is a cute addition to your home or garden.
• Spring Hypertufa Course, $45.  One of Charlie Thigpen Garden Gallery’s most popular classes, you’ll make a piece of garden art from from Hypertufa, which is a light-weight concrete and moss mixture.
• Bundles of lavender, $16.  Freshen up your home with the calming scent of dried lavender.
• Air plants, $7 – $13.  One of our very favorite items in the shop now, these unusual plants look fantastic displayed on a bottle tree and require little to no care.
• Meditation gnome, $12.  The shop carries an entire line of meditation animals and spirits for your home or garden.
• Snapdragons and Pansies are on sale for 50% off on Saturday if you’d like to pick up some plants.  There are a host of other live plants to choose from appropriate for planting now, including many succulents and blooming plants.
• Soy-based candles, $10.  These long-burning natural scents include vanilla, aloe vera, cheesecake, fresh linen, peach,
  Photo: Soy based candles, $10.

  guava, pineapple, patchouli and serenity.

• Heart wing dish, $15.  Adorable Hypertufa dishes look like Angel wings.
• Pots, $1.50 +.  Need a new container for that houseplant?  There are weathered terracotta pots, glazed pots, and a host of other choices.
• Orchids and live arrangements, price dependent on size/plants.  Need to order something special for someone special?  Charlie Thigpen Garden Gallery creates custom arrangements that are quite something.  Look out for them at the check-out counter of the shop when you enter and scattered throughout on tables.

“Voted Best of B’ham” Jazz Venue – B’ham Magazine

2801 2nd Avenue South Suite C B’ham, Al (205) 320-7006

Website: www.onasmusicroom.com
Email: onasmusicroom@att.net

Open 5:30p Wed. thru Sat

Live Music: 8:30p Wed, Thur. and 9:30p Fri,. Sat.

April 2012

Wednesday 4/4 Cash Money Trio with Will Cash

Thursday 4/5 Stuart McNair

Friday 4/6 Little Memphis with Brian Less

Saturday 4/7 Kelley O’Neal with the “KO” Band

Wednesday 4/11 Mart Avant’s “Night Flight” Big Band

Special Guest-Jacksonville State University Jazz Band

Thursday 4/12 Chad Fisher Project

Friday 4/13 Big Tasty

Saturday 4/14 Ona Watson & Champagne

Wednesday 4/18 India Ramey

Thursday 4/19 Pedro Louis Mayor Trio with Sara Green

Friday 4/20 Bonus Round

Saturday 4/21 Big Daddy

Wednesday 4/25 Chad Fisher Project

Thursday 4/26 Stuart McNair

Friday 4/27 The J. Curly Band

Saturday 4/28 Ona Watson & Champagne