Shelf Life: Introducing Joe Harper
Local author Phong Nguyen’s novel adds a compelling chapter to “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.” The mysterious story found me a few summers back in a cemetery off a slow stretch of gravel about a mile from my grandpa’s farm. It was there on the first line of the first page of the spiral bound […]
Strange Brew
The ancient art of fermentation finds its way into modern kitchens. I wasn’t a kombucha drinker until half a day into my 26th year, when I met Jared Zillig and his “mothers.” He keeps them on a shelf in his dining room in three glass jugs hugged by malleable sheets of insulation — an experiment […]
Unleashed: Ava Grace and Paisley Mae
How I fell in love with a cow and her calf at MU’s dairy farm. One fall night during my first semester at MU, I met a young heifer with a heart-shaped spot on her forehead. As a freshman in the animal science program, I was encouraged to participate in Little American Royal, a student-led […]
Giving Back: A Good Day for Roses
Giving Gardens grows beautiful plants and people. Slow down when you see the cottages. That’s the best advice for new visitors to Giving Gardens, a series of endearing greenhouses situated on Central Missouri Subcontracting Enterprises’ campus on South Bearfield Road in Columbia. For 50 years, CMSE has served the industry communities with a workforce of […]
A New Take on Tea
Packed with probiotics, kombucha cocktails give drinkers a healthy buzz. The funktastic fizzy drink kombucha has jumped from our grocer’s shelves into our cocktail glasses. And, I have to say, I’m ready to hand over my money. “I wish there was a word for something that seems so simple but is really complex,” say Josh […]
Seasons: The Act of Loving
With each gift, my beloved speaks a language of love. When I was young, I married my best friend, a cliché dismissed as sentimental until it happens to you. In my husband, I found my home. Now, ensconced in midlife and traversing the terrain of family life, inherent with its joys and sorrows, I’m filled […]
Down to a Fine Art
Robin and Alex LaBrunerie’s home plays host to an eclectic art collection and festive parties. Walking into Robin LaBrunerie’s home off Stewart Road feels like walking into an intimate museum. The rooms on the main level boast color-blocked walls that showcase a variety of art styles and periods. Warm tones of gold and brown make […]
Make Your List and Check It Twice
Take time to enhance your own well-being. Are you a list maker? One of those people who fills up a sheet with all the good intentions of things to complete? There’s something very satisfying about checking things off that list, isn’t there? It might be interesting to see how many of the things on your […]
Shelf Life: “Haywood Micaye”
Local student published first novel in January. Most authors you hear about nowadays have their first published novels in their late prime. One student here in Columbia, however, published her first original story at the age of 19. Ashlynne Doyle, Missouri resident and Stephens College student, has been featured in anthologies before (mostly focused on […]
Destinations: The Best of the Wurst
The cozy town of Hermann offers good eats and plenty to drink. I had at least two good reasons to spend a day in Hermann — to experience a taste of my family’s German heritage and to whet my appetite for a cruise on the Rhine River later this spring. I also had two good […]
Unleashed: The Language of Friendship
Lydia Olmsted and her horse, Ghazi, share an energetic connection. When Lydia Olmsted talks about her horse, Ghazi, she’s talking about a close friend with whom she shares an energetic connection. “It’s a feeling — it’s hard to put into words,” Lydia says. “[Through] his breath and how he nuzzles me, I can usually tell […]
Home HistORRy
Jimmy and Jill Orr make Jimmy’s childhood home their own. Twenty-four years ago, a cute guy with a contagious smile and thick mop of brown hair asked me out on a date. He took me to dinner and afterward he asked if we could make a quick stop at his parents’ house to check on […]