Archives of Community

meet along the way: Taffy McMullin

By Jasmine Jones This story was originally published as “Community Cookbook: Barbecue Brisket, by Taffy McMullin from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Cape Girardeau” in the May 2023 issue of The Best Years. Taffy McMullin grew up on a farm between Sikeston, Mo., and Dexter, Mo., with her mother, father and 14 […]
9 months ago

Home is a Purple School Bus: Local couple embraces tiny living

By Jasmine Jones When Kara and Evan Steffens drive by a schoolyard full of buses, Evan points at the rows of yellow and jokingly exclaims, “Look at all those houses!” It’s because the couple has transformed a 68-passenger school bus, which they bought in September 2020, into their full-time home. Many people said the couple […]
11 months ago

The People Who Know Our Names: Let’s get to know them.

On many Thursdays, members of the flourish crew go to Burrito-Ville for lunch. It’s a ritual we call Burrito-Ville Thursday, and amidst the orange, yellow and red-muralled walls, we break bread — or burritos and tortilla chips — together and find a sanctuary of friendship. There each week, we’re greeted by the people who work […]
1 year ago

Homage to the House Plant (and those who grow them): Abby Koch

I started collecting about five years ago, I think. At first, it was just for the aesthetic, but now, I think, it’s just really fun to see them grow, and they really reciprocate all the energy and time you put into them. It’s just a fun hobby. A lot of them I found when they’re […]
1 year ago