Welcome! My mission is to inspire you to dig into the heart of your own community and explore the magic of smaller places you’ve always wanted to visit! Even if you’re a perpetual wanderer like me, you can honor your roots, which can include your original home or newly adopted small town.

Roots are important, no matter how many times we move. I know.. I’ve moved a lot! A sense of belonging and ties to the things that matter are part of a healthy life. In the last few years, I’ve noticed more and more articles like this one, about the desire to return to a simpler life, which often involves a smaller town. The slower pace and everybody knows your mama feeling of a small town just feels right, doesn’t it? From a weekend getaway to an all-out relocation, a simpler life does not have to mean boring. There is plenty of adventure for you in the smaller dots on the map!

…from a Southern point of view

Hi, I’m Judy

I grew up in the urban South. Both my parents came from small towns, with a long heritage in agriculture, so I had the advantage of city life, combined with long summer days on the farm. I’m far from my roots in Tennessee now, which drives me to seek out the spirit of the South in everything, looking for the “sweet tea” even in this rugged western Colorado landscape I now call home.

Happiness is reading, eating, cooking and obsessing about the outdoors and music. I host a weekly radio show on KAFM and love being a champion for the artist as well as the listener.

Most of all, I love the prospect of sharing this journey with you.

Here’s what to expect:

I’ll update weekly, with something you can chew on (or spit out – your choice)

NEW for 2021

The Crime Scene Kitchen – Pandemic Edition a.k.a. Three Glugs and the Truth is open. Damn.. The virus that didn’t magically disappear appears to have an appetite for making sure we can bend like the willow, huh? I hope you’re weathering things well and eating more than banana bread.

I was gifted a cookbook by a friend which led me to order the one that inspired it. My goal is to cook my way through both, AND learn a song a week for as long as it takes to know enough notes to write my own songs. This won’t be a “cooking” blog per se, but a discovery through cooking and eating, music and fear-facing. Food as a writing prompt, or music as a food prompt? Pick your poison!