Mud Magnolias
FLOWER SHOP BLOSSOMS IN MOOREVILLE
DANBO TROLLS VISIT MEMPHIS | KEVIN KNIGHT LOVES OLD HOUSES
STUDENT WINNERS
The Imagine the Possibilities Career Expo exposes students to 18 career pathways through videos and podcasts. High school sophomores who engaged with the material were eligible to win Apple product prizes. Congratulations to these student winners!
Gresham Melton, West Union Attendance Center
Olajuwon Lewis, Ingomar Attendance Center
points points points
Alex Fuentes, Alcorn Central High School
Alexa Reudas, Ripley High School
Ingred Martinez, Pontotoc High School
Easton Sime, Columbus High School
Ivyana Smith, Nettleton High School
Juliana Urzua, West Union Attendance Center
Jackson Hogue, East Union Attendance Center
Alana Pender, Mooreville High School
Jalayasia Foster, Houston High School
Tania Gaucin, Pontotoc High School
Noah Bradford, Saltillo High School
Andrea Portillo, Blue Mountain High School
Keian McCoy, West Lowndes High School
Ryan Hernandez, Ingomar Attendance Center
Stephanie Lucero, Nettleton High School
Genesis Vallejo, Houston High School
Danicka Mooneyham, Pontotoc High School
Caroline Carnell, Myrtle Attendance Center
Maria Juarez, Kossuth High School
Aubrey Stubbs, Falkner High School
Mary Miller, Walnut Attendance Center
Nia Gates, Nettleton High School
Sadie Luby, South Pontotoc High School
Yareli Mendoza, Pontotoc High School
Ethan Bolen, Saltillo High School
Jamiron White, Houston High School
Kailey Butler, Pine Grove High School
Ella Kennedy, Hatley High School
Makenna Ralph, Mooreville High School
Hannah Winter, Houston High School
Kameron Murillo, Pontotoc High School
Kashara Curry, Columbus High School
Damon Moralez, Tupelo High School
Most of us don’t go on enough walks.
We’re not talking about going for a jog or getting in our steps, wandering over to a neighbor’s house to borrow something or speed walking while catching up on our daily podcasts. No, we mean walking purely to do so.
Walking for no reason at all is inspiring. It gives our minds a chance to wander, our eyes something to explore. It creates a sense of familiarity with our surroundings and sparks a curiosity about what lies around the next bend.
In adulthood, many of us lose the spirit of adventure that came to us so easily as children. That includes a willingness to do something just because. As our time becomes increasingly limited both in length and depth, we fill every second with purpose. We set arbitrary challenges and daily goals, make to-do lists so that we can fit it all in and feel guilty for “wasting time.” We try to maximize our potential, document every experience and intentionally make memories instead of just letting the memories come.
Our days are overloaded with purpose. Taking a little time to walk for no other reason other than the joy of doing so is a small but potentially potent reminder of that childhood sense of adventure, when we would wander down a path just to see where it took us.
See you outside.
Shannon Johnson, Creative Director
David Johnson, Janey Shimp, Creative Team
Missha Mize, Sales Coordinator
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
SALES TEAM
June Phillips, Teresa McDonald, Danielle Daugherty, Angie Quarles, Leigh Know, Paul Fullerton, Alana Glasco, Lacey Page, Rebecca Walker, Tim Watson
Adam Armour, Editor
Adam Armour Blake Alsup
Meredith Biesinger
Eugene Stockstill
Thomas Wells
Adam Robison
William Moore
Caleb McCluskey
On the cover: Rosa Sunfinger, one of Danish artist Thomas Dambo’s trolls, plants a flowerbed inside the body of a car at Memphis Botanic Garden. Cover photo by Adam Robison. March 2025 Vol. 13 No. 5
15
‘IT’S
A CUMPULSION’
For Laurel-based sculptor Jason Kimes, art is an obsession. One he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to. He knows because he tried.
23
JUST THEIR SIZE
32
SAVE THE HUMANS
Recycle Artist Thomas Dambo brings his unique trolls to Memphis to save us all. The exhibit, now on display at the Memphis Botanic Garden, is part of his growing series of creations known as “The Trail of a Thousand Trolls.”
40
HOMETOWN HOME REPAIR HEROES
Spring is the season of home repairs and renovations, and many residents in the greater Tupelo area know they are one phone call away from quality, honest work. Tupelo Handyman solves all home repair needs.
45
OOPSY DAISY
On Highway 371, in the small town of Mooreville, a unique and vibrant flower shop has blossomed. In a partnership with her sister, Mikayla Holland, owner Katelyn Speaks has turned Oopsy Daisy into a one-of-a-kind establishment, filling it with gifts and flowers, heart and soul.
56 32
Bluebird houses have to be small to fit the needs of the minute colorful birds. The kits made by the Gumtree Woodworkers Club are also designed to meet the needs of the small hands of children.
50
UNIQUELY THEIRS
Tupelo couple Brent and Meredith Martin have embraced a form of maximalist decor known as dopamine decorating – a trend defined by “surrounding yourself with furniture, art, and objects that make you happy” – at their new home in the Bel Air neighborhood
‘I DO LOVE AN OLD HOUSE’
Mantachie native and real estate agent Kevin Knight has an eye for design and a passion for home restoration. One of his most recent projects, The Parsonage, is a stunning asset to Jefferson Street in Tupelo and serves as a venue for all of life’s celebrations.
‘IT’S A
Laurel sculptor talks motivation, scale and process
Story by Caleb McCluskeyPhotos by Thomas Wells
For Laurel-based sculptor Jason Kimes, art is an obsession. One he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to. He knows because he tried.
Since he can remember, Kimes has been an artist. He was home-schooled as a child to parents with no artistic inclinations but a spark for encouraging his passion. That passion for creation came in the form of hours of art tutors teaching Kimes the basics of painting and other traditional art mediums. It wasn’t until college that he found sculpture, and he has not looked back since.
“That compulsion we’ve been talking about, it’s been there as long as I’ve been breathing. There’s not a period in my life where I became interested in it; it’s just always been there,” he said. “There was not a church service I sat through where I didn’t have to find a piece of paper and a pencil. Even now, I can’t sit still without doodling.”
Kimes’ art is featured around Mississippi and neighboring states. His work can be viewed in public areas, private col lections and periodically in art exhibits. He focuses on the human form, noting its weird, yet beautiful details such as hands and the curves of the body.
Scale drives Kimes, particularly large, otherworldly pieces. His first was a larger-than-life sculpture of a person ducking and covering their head with their hands. It was made for a private collector who donated hundreds of horseshoes to the project. It stands at 9 feet tall. Kimes has since built larger
Jason Kimes
pieces, up to 13 feet in height, including a sculpture of his hand, a leg and other human forms.
This fascination with human form, he said, isn’t just about beauty but frankness, which shows up in his work in the form of his medium. Metal that he forms a rust patina on. The vibrant bright orange is a hallmark of his style.
“Sort of the goal is to produce a permanent object for the person who’s buying it. It is the goal (to create something with longevity) but not for the traditional legacy building mentality,” he said. “I work with the natural patinas because … fundamental ly, there’s an honesty about the natural patinas. Anybody who buys my art, I don’t want them to have to worry about it and have to call the artist.”
Kimes, who builds about three to four projects a year, has spent the early days of 2025 building a piece for an upcoming exhibit. He noted that at the time of the interview and likely publishing, the exhibit would not be
announced, so he kept that information close to his chest. The sculpture, though, was a large skul l, built of stainless steel squares.
The skull itself is a model made by one of Kimes’ friends. Once complete, the piece will be polished into a brilliant shine, which Kimes said wa s his attempt to reverse the traditional symbolism of skulls.
“Instead of it being a macabre, dark, ominous skull … (the skull will be) a bright gleaming object. Something to strive for,” he said.
Accessibility and sustainability are major priorities in Kimes’ art. He enjoys having his art open to the public, viewable in places such as parks and downtowns in Hattiesburg, Laurel and other towns throughout the state. He noted he had one piece in New Orleans built to honor those that died in the Deep Water Horizon deadly explosion and the subsequent oil spill in 2010.
“How much coverage of the oil spill
was there versus the 11 guys that died? Some people might not even remember that people died,” he said. “(The oil spill) o vershadowed the rig workers to such an extent … that was my motivation behind the sculpture. These guys were just forgotten.”
Kimes has two workshops on his property in Laurel, and within one is the last painted piece he did decades ago now: a large-scale portrait of author William Burroughs, a highly influential author during the Beat Generation, a literary and political subculture that sprang up in the ‘50s to push against materialistic economics and embrace spiritual discovery. He pointed to this portrait as the early markers of his love for expression at large scale. He likened small scale sculpting to “homework.”
“Everything I make to get me really excited, I either need to be able to climb on it, or it can kill me,” he said. “There is just something about the scale of having to look up. That
sublime aspect of it is a dangerous thing … but that’s what’s exciting.”
He said what he loves most about sculpting is that he can bridge the gap between artist and tradespeople.
“One of my favorite surprises is being able to talk shop with these roughneck rig workers and welders … they can geek out about my sculptures from their end of things just like I can geek out about the art,” he said. “We can meet on that level. I work the same way they work, I just make a different product. Seeing that I’m someone who can talk on their level, they start asking me about the art, and they listen.”
Not all of his works were received as well as “Eleven,” which was commissioned by the city of New Orleans, and stood at Elysian Fields Avenue and Dauphine Street in the Marigny neighborhood for about two years before it was removed. His piece “After Bathsheba,” which is a depiction of David after destroying Ammon, having Uriah the Hittite killed and taking his wife, Bathsheba, as his eighth wife.
He said the piece pays homage to potentially the most recognizable statue in history: Michelangelo’s “David.” But instead of young David preparing to take down Goliath, it is a more middle-aged and corrupted David. Kimes used his own body as the body for the sculpture.
The controversy came in its anatomical correctness, which Michelangelo’s “David” also includes.
The steel is welded together, covering a foam form that Kimes cut with a CNC mill, a computerized tool that
can cut out shapes, building layers until the final form is achieved. Once the metal is welded into place, he removes the foam. His first statues were created through plaster molds of another friend.
He now uses a 3D imaging scanner to build out the designs and uses clay to construct a smaller scale version of his sculptures before moving into the larger scales.
The materials and shapes change depending on his needs, but he started with scrap punch-outs he got from a steel manufacturer. He’s since begun buying metal sheets and cutting his own pieces, including buying steel billets that are cut to mimic the original punch-outs. He said he’s recently moved from mild steel to Corten steel, which lasts much longer than the former.
After graduating with a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and getting a master’s from Southern Il linois University, both in sculpture, Kimes went to work at Southern Miss. After a short time, he realized academia wasn’t for him, joking that he could lecture all day at his workshop, but he couldn’t be a traditional professor.
“(Sculpting) is what I love, what I’m passionate about and what I’m happy doing, but there’s a little apprehension with it because from one sculpture to the next, I never know if I’m going to sell another,” he said. “There is certainly not tenure, or a guaranteed salary.”
After leaving the university, he took a two-year break from art and started a carpet-cleaning company, to which he still owns the rights. Over time, he got the itch to create again, and his work with the company slowly diminished as
Opposite, Kimes works in his studio
This page, Kimes’ finished pieces stand on public displa
his time spent sculpting increased.
Kimes’ advice for young artists: Don’t worry about a style that comes with time. Instead, he said to focus on making as much art as you can.
“It’s a problem for every young artist … I remember dealing with it when
I was in undergrad,” he said. “Every young artist, they’re stressed out about not having a style. They spent so much time studying other artists, and they can recognize their work because it’s the hand of the artist.
“I know I, just like everyone in my
class, was trying to develop a style … I tell all young artists, ‘Don’t even worry about it because it happens without you even knowing it. In fact, you wouldn’t be able to prevent it because you are going to develop a style whether you know it or not.’” M
Much of Kimes’ art is focused on the human form
just their SIZE just their SIZE
Local woodworkers club helps kids build birdhouses
Gumtree woodworker Mike Talbert steadies the boards as a boys hammers home a nail at a workshop at the Tupelo Lowe’s in December 2015.
Bluebird houses have to be small to fit the needs of th minute colorful birds. The kits made by one woodworking club are also designed to meet the needs of the small hands of children.
Years ago, the Gumtree Woodworkers Club was looking for a way to use their skills to raise money for kids. They settled on a simple Eastern bluebird house they could sell, using the proceeds to buy Christmas presents for kids. Over the last few years, the club has purchased more than $2,000 in gifts each year for kids who might go without.
The concept expanded to be a way to empower kids and introduce them to woodworking when members created assembly jigs for the pre-cut and predrilled kits.
“It only takes five o 10 minutes for a kid to assemble a birdhouse,” said member Brady Garrett. “It gives them a feeling of accomplishment.”
But not every kid knows how to hammer a nail, or has the manual dexterity to hold two boards at the right angle while driving a nail. So the club created a jig to hold the pieces in the correct position and properly align the boards. With nails slipped into pre-drilled positioning holes, it’s a simple matter for the child to focus on hammering one nail into position before moving on to the next nail at their own pace.
“Some kids don’t know how to hold the hammer, so you have to take a little more time and go slow with them,” said Mike Talbert. “Then I’ve seen some 5-year-olds grab the hammer and drive
the nail home with one whack.”
To make it even easier, the club brings stepstools or crates for smaller kids to stand on to get them to proper hammering height.
PRE-BUILDING BIRDHOUSES
There are plenty of patterns out there to make bluebird houses out of a single fence board. Former club member Russell Bryson tweaked an existing birdhouse design to eliminate waste and maximize the number of parts they can get from each board. That allows them to get more than one birdhouse from each board.
On work days, the group can take 100 6-foot dogeared fence boards and create all the parts for 120 or more birdhouses. A handful of members will converge on
Story by William Moore • Photos By Thomas Wells & Marty Sparks
Talbert talks about the small birdhouses he and local woodworkers create.
someone’s shop. Using multiple saws, they set up jigs and stops to cut out larger parts quickly. Many of those are then cut in half on an angle to create the sides, or the roof and front pieces.
Even with the jigs, the woodworkers must still keep a close eye on things and make small adjustments to account for the changes in length, width, and straightness of each board.
“It’s an engineered project. We can go through a hundred boards in two-and-ahalf hours with just three or four guys,” Talbert said. “We’ll have multiple saws going, and everything is jigged to make it easy and consistent.”
Drilling the pilot holes for the nails takes the longest of all the steps.
At the end of the day, they use twine to bundle the six pieces necessary to make a birdhouse.
MIGRATION
Over the years, the club has set up shop at arts and crafts festivals like the Gum Tree Festival, the Robins Street Art Stroll and the Dudie Burger Festival.
They have held workshops outside of Lowe’s, one of the original donors. They have also provided kits to 4-H clubs, special needs groups and civic groups.
The birdhouses cost $5 whether as a kit you build yourself or pre-assembled. Which form is most popular depends on the location.
“We did an event at the New Albany Heritage Museum for a garden club. Nearly every one of them was sold assembled,” Talbert said, “But when you set up somewhere like the Gum Tree Festival, it’s mostly kids who want to build it themselves.”
To maximize the number of toys that can be purchased each Christmas, the club relies heavily on donations. It doesn’t waste money on things like a credit card machine.
“We’ll have parents come up and ask if we take debit cards and we have to say No,” Talbert said. “But no kid who wants a birdhouse is going to walk away without a birdhouse. Sometimes we’ll pay the $5 ourselves and tell the parents to make a donation later. Some people will give
us $20 for a house, so we are able to get ahead.”
Over the years, the club has overcome hurdles to keep the project going. They lost one of their biggest weekends when the Gumtree Festival folded last year. They hope the new iteration in 2025 will be a success.
“When we started, Lowe’s was a great contributor,” Garrett said. “I knew the manager and they would donate the cedar fence boards.”
Management changes at the big box store forced the club had to find nw sources of raw materials. When it comes time to cut out pieces and bundle the parts into kits, the club members donate their time and the use of their shops. That has allowed the club to increase each year the amount they’ve been able to donate to Toys for Tots.
“Over the last few years, we’ve been able to donate more than $2,000 a year in toys,” Garrett said. ‘Some of the wives will take the money and go out and do the shipping for different ges.”
A little girl tries a short-handled hammer to construct her birdhouse outside the Tupelo Lowe’s in December 2015.
Gumtree Woodworkers Club members Brady Garrett, left, and Mike Talbert use twine to bundle together all the parts needed for one birdhouse.
Home& Garden
Danish artist’s unique trolls visit Memphis Botanic Garden
Getting the buzz from a hummingbird
Tupelo native brings personal passion to renovations through his business
Mooreville flower shop Oopsy Daisy blossoms
Tupelo’s Meredith and Brent Martin have an eclectic style all their own
Kevin Knight restores and revives historic homes with character and charm
the HUMANS
Story by Adam Armour Photos by Adam Robison
Artist Thomas Dambo brings his unique trolls to Memphis to save us all
It’s a frigid morning at the Memphis Botanic Garden, but Ronja Redeye doesn’t seem to mind.
At just 10 feet tall, Ronja is diminutive in stature compared to her companions, although her heart and compassion for humans outsizes her relatively smallish size. Arms outstretched as if awaiting a hug, she’s perfect for her chosen role as greeter to the garden’s human visitors. It’s why she’s leading this campaign … the one that just might save us all.
“Save the Humans” is a traveling exhibit created by recycle artist Thomas Dambo in partnership with Atlanta-based exhibition company Imagine. The exhibit features six of Dambo’s unique trolls, part of his growing series of creations around the world known as “The Trail of a Thousand Trolls.”
The exhibit opened at the Memphis Botanic Garden in early February and will remain on display through May 21.
Drawing inspiration from his native Denmark’s storied folklore, Dambo’s trolls – as of this writing, he and his team have built more than 150 of them, each with its own distinct personality – embody the relationship between nature and humankind. Each troll is primarily constructed of recycled materials, usually locally sourced, and often blends into its surroundings.
“Save the Humans” features six Dambo trolls – Ronja Redeye, Rosa Sunfinge, Kamma Can, Sofus Lotus, Ibbi Pip and Basse Buller – who have banded together to save humankind by helping us rediscover how to live in harmony with nature.
According to the exhibit’s creator, “Save the Humans” is an evolution of the story he’s been telling for years. The trolls act as guardians of the wild, which naturally puts them at odds with the pesky humans who can sometimes treat nature poorly.
“Save the Humans,” Dambo told us via email, twists this idea around.
“This time, the perspective shifts,” he said. “Instead of just saving nature, the trolls recognize that humans need saving too. We’ve lost our connection to the forests, the rivers, and the creatures that live alongside us. We build cities and screens and forget where we came from. The trolls see this, and rather than figh humans, they try to wake us up.”
Take, for instance, Kamma Can, a hulking but gentle troll sitting legs akimbo at the heart of the garden. In her hands, she holds a string of plastic doodads – cups and pitchers and spritzers and buckets – fashioned into a colorful display. What humans may see as trash, she sees as an opportunity to create. She encourages people to turn would-be waste into something new.
Kamma Can and her peers fit ino the
trolls’ larger story, Dambo said, because his trolls have always been protectors. This time, however, they’re protecting people from themselves.
“In ‘Save the Humans,’ they take a more active role in showing us the consequences of our actions – but also the possibilities for change,” he said. “The trolls are wise, but they also have humor and heart. They know that the only way to save nature is to remind humans that we are part of it.”
Visiting trolls
Memphis is the fifth sop along the exhibit’s ongoing tour of public gardens across the country and the closest the trolls have come to Northeast Mississippi. According to Olivia Wall, director of marketing and communications for
the Memphis Botanic Garden, early response has been wonderful.
“Response has been fantastic,” Wall said. “We’ve had a lot of folks come out. There’s been a lot of buzz in the community … Folks are just excited about it.”
Gina Harris, the garden’s director of education and events, said exhibits like “Save the Humans” are a perfect way to draw people to the garden who might not otherwise have visited.
Harris said they’ve been working to bring some of Dambo’s trolls to the garden since 2017, commenting that the way he blends nature with art is a perfect fit for the sprawling 96-acre spae.
“It’s that connection where we’re able to bring in some fine at pieces on a large scale,” Harris said. “To be able to have something that brings out a differen
“This time, the perspective shifts,” he said. “Instead of just saving nature, the trolls recognize that humans need saving too. We’ve lost our connection to the forests, the rivers, and the creatures that live alongside us. We build cities and screens and forget where we came from. The trolls see this, and rather than figh humans, they try to wake us up.”
Take, for instance, Kamma Can, a hulking but gentle troll sitting legs akimbo at the heart of the garden. In her hands, she holds a string of plastic doodads – cups and pitchers and spritzers and buckets – fashioned into a colorful display. What humans may see as trash, she sees as an opportunity to create. She encourages people to turn would-be waste into something new.
Kamma Can and her peers fit ino the
trolls’ larger story, Dambo said, because his trolls have always been protectors. This time, however, they’re protecting people from themselves.
“In ‘Save the Humans,’ they take a more active role in showing us the consequences of our actions – but also the possibilities for change,” he said. “The trolls are wise, but they also have humor and heart. They know that the only way to save nature is to remind humans that we are part of it.”
Visiting trolls
Memphis is the fifth sop along the exhibit’s ongoing tour of public gardens across the country and the closest the trolls have come to Northeast Mississippi. According to Olivia Wall, director of marketing and communications for
the Memphis Botanic Garden, early response has been wonderful.
“Response has been fantastic,” Wall said. “We’ve had a lot of folks come out. There’s been a lot of buzz in the community … Folks are just excited about it.”
Gina Harris, the garden’s director of education and events, said exhibits like “Save the Humans” are a perfect way to draw people to the garden who might not otherwise have visited.
Harris said they’ve been working to bring some of Dambo’s trolls to the garden since 2017, commenting that the way he blends nature with art is a perfect fit for the sprawling 96-acre spae.
“It’s that connection where we’re able to bring in some fine at pieces on a large scale,” Harris said. “To be able to have something that brings out a differen
You never know who you might run into when you’re out there minding your own business. As it turns out, we fell into conversation with Bob Brzuszek, a master gardener and emeritus professor with Mississippi State University. He’s also a hummingbird expert.
Wouldn’t it be nice, we wondered, if you could actually interview a hummingbird? And wouldn’t you know it? Brzuszek did that very thing when he came across a rather chatty hummer with a witty way about him.
“We are all individuals just as people are, so if you look closely at us, we may all look a little different,” the humme opened unbidden after quick introductions. “I’m a particularly handsome male, or so I’m told, with a bright red patch on my neck. My wife, on the other hand, has a beautiful ivory-white neck. We are pretty busy right now looking for a good place to build our nest. But we ruby-throats are diffeent from my cousins, because we are the only species that builds nests east of the Mississippi River.”
The darting, colorful creature hovered and zipped around Brzuszek as he questioned him about the hummingbird population in Mississippi.
“My family grew up next to both Anna’s and Allen’s hummingbirds, but we rarely hang around all the broad-tails or the broad-bills,” the hummer said.
He added brusquely, “They are just show offs.
Brzuszek laughed at the bird’s curt reply before asking – somewhat rhetorically – do they all get along?
“No. They are always coming over and eating our food,” the bird responded flaty. “And they
never bring a side dish.”
The bird, possibly offende by Brzuszek’s direct line of questioning, flited through the air as if he might y away. Brzuszek sat in silence, hoping the bird wouldn’t leave. Even though he knows one-third of a hummingbird’s weight is in its pectorals, Brzuszek marveled at a creature that can move in such a forceful manner, despite being 4-inches long and weighing less than 3 grams.
What about wintertime, Brzuszek finaly asked him.
“It’s nice and warm here in Mexico, but some of our cousins like it better in Central America,” the bird said, pacified for the moment. “They cal them snowbirds down there. I mean, our kids eat half their body weight in food daily, so we have to constantly keep stocked up on food.”
The beautiful hummer added without being asked that he and his family expect to return to Mississippi around March and are particularly keen on seeing the red buckeyes, also known as the firecracer plant, when they come into bloom.
“Man, we follow those floers all the way up to Tishomingo,” he said.
Brzuszek then asked about spiders and snakes, which really made him think he’d offende his interviewee, who flw o in a huff fter a few choice words about predators and how lucky he felt to have vision far superior to that of humans. He returned after a few moments, hovering as if waiting for the interview to continue, the infraction seemingly forgotten.
Brzuszek took it easy for a while, letting his feathered friend wax poetic about floering plants and tasty bug treats, not to mention how he and others like him help keep
bug populations under control. Brzuszek also let the beautiful bird remind him of something else he already knew: Sugar feeders for hummers need to be kept clean, just like humans keep their feeding places.
Then Brzuszek asked him one question that had been on his mind the entire interview. What about a hummingbird’s extraordinary sense of location? How can a bird hone in on a specific location rom, say, hundreds of miles away?
“My daddy taught me that a long time ago,” the bird said. “He used to say, ‘Son, that’s the sun. It’s special. It will keep you warm on cold days. It will grow floers to give you food. It lets you see things far away. When you are ready to head north in spring, just keep it on your right side in the morning. And when you want to go south in winter, just keep it on your left side in the morning.’ That’s it.”
Brzuszek got the sense that he needed to bring the interview to a close, so he asked if he had forgotten anything important. The hummingbird rattled off a fw other items for a to-do list: Keep cats and poisons far away; keep feeders clean; keep plants like azaleas, cardinal floers, lantanas, salvias, coral honeysuckle, phlox and bee balm in abundance.
And then, before Brzuszek had a chance to ask the loquacious hummer his name or to thank him for his time, the tiny bird was ying away. He flw backwards. He flw upside down, right over Brzuszek’s head.
Just before he flited out of sight, the bird called out, a tinge of teasing in his tiny voice:
“Y’all’s Blue Angel pilots learned all their tricks from us.”
STORY BY EUGENE STOCKSTILL
HUM AND BUZZ A Q&A with a hummingbird
Cruz Coker
Tupelo native brings personal passion to small- and medium-size renovations with his business, Tupelo Handyman
HOME TOWN HOME REPAIR heroes
Story by Meredith Biesinger
Photos by: Adam Robison
Spring is the season of home repairs and renovations, and many residents in the greater Tupelo area know they are one phone call away from quality, honest work. Tupelo Handyman solves all home repair needs.
Tupelo Handyman is owned and operated by Cruz Coker, a Tupelo native who brings a personal touch to every project.
“I was born and raised in Tupelo and have lived in Lee County my whole life,” Coker said. “I was always the kid who loved to take things apart and put them back together. Fixing things has been a
passion of mine since I was a child, and then I grew up and realized I could do it for a living.”
Coker worked for several construction companies and in the furniture fiel before becoming a subcontractor. Then, after working in residential construction and remodeling, he became self-employed.
“I kept getting requests for smaller repair jobs and home projects; the demand was so high that Tupelo Handyman was born in 2019,” Coker said. “Because of the pandemic, this turned into a blessing
and was right on time because many of the more significant projects decline during the pandemic, and smaller projects increased.”
What kind of smaller projects? All kinds.
Tupelo Handyman specializes in projects that cost $10,000 or less, from electrical work to drywall, painting, and all house repairs. This year, the company is rolling out a preventative home care subscription service, where homeowners can sign up to have their homes inspected on a regular schedule to identify any
Tip Top Tips
As you prepare your home for the spring, use Tupelo Handyman’s Spring Home Maintenance Checklist to ensure your home is in tip-top shape
Exterior: Inspect roof for damage, leaks, and moss growth.
Clean gutters and downspouts.
Trim trees and shrubs away from the house.
Check exterior paint for peeling or cracking.
Repair or replace damaged window screens.
Inspect and clean window and door seals.
Clean and repair walkways, driveways, and patios.
Inspect and repair fences and decks.
Prepare garden beds for planting.
Check outdoor lighting and replace bulbs if needed.
needs early on. This service not only saves homeowners money by catching potential issues before they become major problems, but it also provides peace of mind knowing that their home is well-maintained.
“We strive to be a premier home service company in our area,” Coker said. “Our prices are reasonable and affordabl for the quality that we offe. We aren’t the company to come in and put a Bandaid on something. If we put the Tupelo Handyman name on it, we want to stand behind it and warranty our work.”
Interior: Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Replace batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors.
Check for leaks under sinks and around toilets.
Clean or replace HVAC air filters.
Schedule a professional HVAC system tune-up.
Clean dryer vents to prevent fire hazards.
Inspect and clean window sills and tracks.
Check for signs of mold and mildew.
Clean and organize closets and storage spaces.
Deep clean or steam clean carpets and rugs.
Bonus Tip: Schedule a professional home inspection to comprehensively assess your home’s condition. M
BUILDING A BUILDING BUSINESS
The demand for Tupelo Handyman
has been phenomenal over the last seven years, Coker said. The business’ growth reflects that
“We have experienced so much growth, and it’s only going to go up from here,” said Jennifer Dickerson, who works for Coker.”
Much of this success, she believes, can be attributed to her boss’s integrity and drive.
“He stands behind everything we do,” she said. “Our crew lead checks every job and does a walkthrough to ensure there are no imperfections and that the work meets the standards Cruz wants to give the community.”
Coker takes care of people, she said, staff and clients alie.
“My daily goal is to help as many people as I can and to share opportunities with people who are a part of Tupelo Handyman,” Coker said. “Creating opportunities to hire more people helps people and helps their families, and it comes around full circle to the community.”
According to Coker, Tupelo Handyman lives and operates by the core values of “helpful, handy, honest solutions.” Coker called these the business’s core values. They live and die by them.
“We are here to be as helpful as possible,” Coker said.
HOW A LOCAL FLOWER SHOP BLOSSOMED IN THE MOOREVILLE COMMUNITY
Story By Meredith Biesinger | Photos By Thomas Wells
On Highway 371, in the small town of Mooreville, a unique and vibrant floer shop has blossomed.
In a partnership with her sister, Mikayla Holland, owner Katelyn Speaks has turned Oopsy Daisy into a one-of-a-kind establishment, filing it with gifts and floers, heart and soul.
Speaks grew up on the other side of 371 in Mantachie and married a Mooreville Trooper. When looking to open a floer shop, she felt strongly that it should be in Mooreville, not only because the couple now called it home, but because the town’s residents had never had a floer shop to call their own.
Speaks’ desire to open a floer shop came, at least in part, from her passion for event planning. Since age 14, Speaks has planned a mix of weddings, birthday parties and baby showers … although always on the side. Professionally, she worked as a paralegal for the o e of Denvil Crowe for 13 years while planning events as a secondary gig.
“I had every kind of creative side hustle you could think of while also being a paralegal,” Speaks said. “I’ve always needed that outlet.”
Speaks has professionally wrapped gifts since she was a teenager. During her time at Denvil Crowe’s o e, she would take a leave of absence from the day after Thanksgiving and spend the holiday season professionally wrapping customers’ gifts at the former Tupelo Mall, now known as MidTown Pointe. All proceeds from her gift-wrapping service were donated to people in need during the holiday season.
Katelyn Speaks creates an arrangement at her Mooreville flower shop, Oopsy Daisy.
“Denvil was so understanding about this because he knew I had done this for years, which was important to me,” Speaks said. “I gift-wrapped his presents, too.”
It was while planning a birthday party on Mother’s Day weekend in 2023 that inspiration struck Speaks. While picking up balloons at a local floer shop, Speaks took note of the myriad items on sale.
She thought, “Why can’t I sell these items?”
“I noticed all kinds of gifts and floers around the shop as people would pick up their orders,” she said. “I thought to myself, I can do this.”
Balloons in hand, Speaks got in her car and sent a group text to her mom, sister, and aunt:
“If I were rich, I’d open my own floer shop.”
Turns out, she didn’t have to be rich. She just needed a little help.
OOPSY DAISY
Unbeknownst to her at the time, Speaks’ sister and future business partner had been looking for some local investments. Soon after receiving Speaks’ text, she offered o help open a floer shop. So, Speaks started searching for a space and setting everything up to open a shop.
Timing is everything, and as the doors of the boutique The Gray Antler closed, they opened again for Katelyn Speaks and
her new floer shop, Oopsy Daisy.
So, where did the name Oopsy Daisy come from?
“Well, I sat down one day and asked myself, what will I call this floer shop? The name came to me because I feel like I’m a whole mess,” Speaks said, laughing. “Things come by accident, so I thought Oopsy Daisy was appropriate.”
With its diverse offerings of fl er arrangements, gifts, event space, and professional party planning services, Oopsy Daisy has thrived as a business.
“Having the floer shop, along with the party room and event planning services, is the perfect marriage of everything I ever wanted to do,” Speaks said. “I used to think I can do all these things well, but how do I turn it into a profession?”
Passion helps. Speaks has that in spades.
She’s turned her talents into a business and created a local gathering place for her community, a testament to the community’s support and involvement.
Speaks has funneled her passion for planning into a onestop destination for the community’s floral and vent needs. The shop has everything, from stunning floer arrangements and reliable delivery services to bows, gifts, and decor. There’s professional gift wrapping, of course, and an event space with party planning services.
Known for her colorful floral arrangements of blue hydrageas and yellow Gerber daisies, Speaks’ personal touch shines
through in every bouquet. For Easter this spring, she recommends a fun and vibrant arrangement of colorful tulips with long carrots, a perfect reflection of the joy and warmth of th season.
“It’s a fun, happy arrangement, and everyone loves tulips,” she said. “Also, when I think of home and garden, I can’t help but think of the front door. Square boxwood wreaths, with a monogrammed sash, are popular right now, and they are interchangeable and timeless.”
HEART OF THE COMMUNITY
Speaks sees her floer shop as more than just a business. To her, it’s a community hub where everyone is welcome. There’s always something exciting happening. Oopsy Daisy is deeply rooted in the Mooreville community, from hosting local events
to supporting community initiatives.
In its short life, Oopsy Daisy has bloomed into a go-to spot for floer arrangements, gifts, farmers markets, vendor markets, and other local events.
“I love that there is always something going on in the community, and I love being a part of that,” she said.
From her early days of wrapping gifts and planning parties as a teenager to the proud owner of the first fler shop in Mooreville, Speaks’ journey has been a testament to the power of passion and perseverance. Oopsy Daisy represents a culmination of all Speaks’ dreams and talents, the blossoming of seeds planted years a go into something beautiful.
“I struggled for a long time to understand my calling in life as a professional,” Speaks said. “This is it.” M
Uniquely Theirs Uniquely
Tupelo couple Brent and Meredith Martin have embraced a form of maximalist decor known as dopamine decorating – a trend defined by “surrounding yourself wit furniture, art, and objects that make you happy” – at their new home in the Bel Air neighborhood.
Brent, a home inspector, and Meredith, a real estate agent of 10 years, have quickly made the 1953, Colonial-style home their own.
With three bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms, the
Tupelo couple embraces ‘dopamine decorating’ in art-adorned home
Story by Blake Alsup • Photos by Adam Robison
one-level home was a perfect fit
“We love the way the living space flows,” eredith said. “We love to have people over, and it’s just a great circular space where we can entertain.”
Save for the kitchen and the owner’s bathroom, the Martins gutted the house, replacing floors, eiling, wiring and plumbing throughout with the help of Jay and Natania Darnell, who brought the Martins’ vision to life.
“I think we’ve put enough into this that we couldn’t possi-
Unique art fills the Martin’ home.
A disco ball in the laundry room makes household chores a party.
bly sell it,” Meredith said. “So, I think I’ve kind of done a Jedi mind trick on myself so that I’m not tempted to move.”
A hidden gem of the house is a disco-themed laundry room with a functioning disco ball and a speaker that plays music each time the light switch is flipped on
“The disco laundry is something I’ve wanted for like 20 years, and my brother who lives in Chattanooga made that happen,” Meredith said.
From a den with a mix of vintage and modern furniture and an Elvis-themed bathroom to bedrooms and hallways featuring paintings by local artists like Charlie Buckley, Mary Art Contrary and Melonie McCarley Counce, the Martins’ home is
decorated with art throughout.
Their love of art is long-lived. Meredith was an art major, while Brent was a business major with artistic sensibilities. Their collection includes the work of plenty of Southern and Mississippi artists, along with pieces Brent painted himself.
Brent picked up the paintbrush more than a decade ago and has a home studio where he paints often. His signature style involves pairing black-and-white images with flshy, colorful backgrounds.
They’ve accumulated other pieces through the years. On trips or visits to art festivals, they’d buy anything they liked and worry about finding a plae to put it later.
A painting by Brent Martin hangs in the couple’s kitchen.
Meredith Martin showcases some of her home’s artwork.
“If we see something we like, we buy it,” Brent said. “Even if we don’t know if we have room for it, we’ll just figure it out.
“We will just walk around with art until I find where it need to live,” Meredith added. “Things get re-hung here a lot, things get shuffled around They’ve bought nothing because of its value. Instead, they
seek art they fall in love with.
Brent said their tastes have changed through the years, becoming more eclectic over time.
“I think both of us, artistically, have blended a space that we love,” Meredith said. M
‘I DO LOVE AN OLD HOUSE’
KEVIN KNIGHT ON THE RESTORATION AND REVIVAL OF HISTORIC HOMES WITH CHARACTER AND CHARM
Story By Meredith Biesinger Photos By Adam Robison
Kevin Knight is a beloved real estate agent in Northeast Mississippi with an eye for design and a passion for home restoration. The Mantachie native has purchased and revived several homes throughout Lee and Itawamba County. One of his most recent projects, The Parsonage, is a stunning asset to Jefferson Street inTupelo and serves as a venue for all of life’s celebrations.
“I remember drawing house plans with graph paper as a child; I’ve always been enthralled with things like this,” Knight said, his unwavering passion for home restoration evident in his words. His lifelong fascination with home design is a testament to the transformative power of restoration, inspiring others to embark on their own renovation journeys.
Knight bought his first home in antachie in 2006 for just $35,000.
“I did all the work myself … sanding floors, painting.That home was on the same road I grew up on, and it burned down four months later,” he said. “So, I bought another house, pulled the carpet out, and exposed the beautiful hardwood floors. Some riends asked if I would sell it and made me an offe. I owned that house for two weeks. From there, I rolled right into another one and just kept doing it – I just bought my 17th house.”
Many homes later, Knight purchased a stately historic home in downtown Tupelo in April 2022 with plans to live there. The home – now known as The Parsonage – was once used as a parsonage for the First United Methodist Church. Knight uses it as a venue for weddings, receptions, social events, and parties. This transformation has revitalized the building and created a space for the community to come together and celebrate
Knight shows off some details of The arsonage.
life’s milestones.
When the church approached him about buying the property next door, his creative wheels began to turn. Call it, “divine inspiration.”
“I realized this would be a great venue,” Knight said. “It’s downtown and caters to a clientele that wants a specific style. rom there, it has snowballed into a huge business.”
In its first year of r vival, The Parsonage hosted 64 events, with even more to follow.
“ABC 2020 has filmed an episod here, photographers rent it out, and of course, there are several weddings and celebrations of life, receptions, and even commercials, “ Knight said. “Every aspect of life, whether it’s together to cr y or together to celebrate, has happened here.”
HUMBLE HOME BEGINNINGS
Looking back, Knight has owned several of the homes he used to drive past when he was young. It’s a bit surreal, the 41-year-old said.
“If you would have told this little Mantachie boy 20 years ago that I would have something like this, I would have called you a liar,” he said.
From his first 1300square-foot home in Mantachie to The Parsonage and every house in between, Knight brings homes back to life, intent on restoring their character and preserving a piece of history.
“I’m a visual person,” he said. “I love to see it as it is. When I say study it, I mean bring a 5-gallon bucket into a vacant house and just sit there and stare at the walls for weeks at a time. Then, that picture will just come to life, and
I can’t get it done fast enough.”
Before becoming a real estate agent, Knight owned a floral and gift sho in Fulton and pursued his own home restorations. Now an award-winning Realtor, he is in the business of restoration and revival, not flipping home but simply modernizing them enough to make them functional while maintaining their character.
“I do love an old house,” Knight said with a smile.
The response from the Fulton community, where Knight has revived the most homes, has been rewarding.
“People see these homes daily and think their prime is in the past. They’re surprised to see what they’ve turned into, and I think I’ve helped paint that picture for them and maybe inspired them to do the same,” he said. “There are so many great properties with potential.”
For those who are inspired to renovate an older home, Knight offers som advice:
“Prepare yourself,” he said. “Things will come up when you buy an old
house. You’ll run into hiccups, but just start small and stick to your budget –pretty things cost – and then learn and grow.”
With an eye for exterior and interior aesthetics and the opportunity to visit several homes daily, Knight has become a go-to resource for home design and has even taught community courses on the topic through Itawamba Community College.
So, what’s his personal style?
“At the end of the day, I favor a traditional classic style with modern flo and function. I love a home you can live in every day with the character of an old house everyone loves,” Knight said.
Seventeen homes later, if walls could talk, they would undoubtedly thank Kevin Knight for bringing them back to life and providing the opportunity for memories to be made by their new owners.
“I’m 41, and I’m fulfiled,” Knight said. “One day, I will build a personal home with everything I have loved about all the other homes.” M
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A R T S ETH
Focus on local artists Spring fashions & much more!
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The 1907 Event Venue
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Sunday, April 6 2-6 pm
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