Small Town Living

From Garden to InstantPot: My Two-Day Pepper Dehydrating Journey

/ stlmaryland / Leave a comment

I picked a batch of jalapeño, habanero, and cayenne peppers from my garden and decided to dehydrate them in my Instant Pot so they wouldn’t go to waste. 🌶️ It was my first time trying it with whole peppers, and I was curious to see how it would turn out.

The Instant Pot automatically sets the dehydrator to 125º for 7 hours, so I loaded all the peppers in together and let it run. When the timer finally beeped, the cayenne peppers were perfectly dried — crisp and ready to store. But the jalapeños and habaneros were still soft and far from done.

So, I reset the dehydrator and ran another cycle. And then another. It ended up taking two long days before the jalapeños and habaneros finally reached that perfect dry snap. The whole house smelled amazing — smoky, spicy, and earthy all at once.

It was definitely a slow process, but totally worth the patience. Now I’ve got a container of homegrown heat ready to crush or grind whenever I want to add some fire to my cooking. Nothing beats preserving your own peppers straight from the garden. 🔥

From the Bay of the West Coast to the Bay of the East Coast: My Journey Across the Country

/ stlmaryland / Leave a comment

I grew up in the vibrant Bay Area of California, in San Jose, a bustling city with a population of over 839,000 in the 1990s. Life there was full of energy and activity, but I’ve come to realize that I feel far more content in smaller towns.

At 24, I moved to Ocean City, Maryland, a lively beach resort town with a smaller population of just 5,168 at the time, for an internship. Ocean City sits where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Isle of Wight Bay, right at the start of Highway 50. Living there gave me my first taste of East Coast life, and I began to appreciate the charm of small-town living.

After my internship ended, I returned to California, this time to South Lake Tahoe, a resort town perched at 6,250 feet in the Sierra Nevada Mountains along Highway 50 as well, right on the California–Nevada border. In 1998, the population was 23,378. It was there that I got married and welcomed my three children, who were born and raised amidst the snow, lake, mountains, and fresh mountain air.

For 15 years, we lived in Gardnerville, Nevada, a small town with a population of around 5,656, just a 30-minute drive from Tahoe. After my marriage ended, I moved back full-time to South Lake Tahoe because that’s where my heart was at the time. Having lived more than half my life in the Sierra Mountains, I knew I would never feel at home in a large city like San Jose again.

Eventually, Maryland quietly tugged at my heart, drawing me back to the East Coast. At age 52, my children, our animals, and I moved to Elkton, Maryland, a town of 16,064 and right outside the college town – literally just ten minutes from the University of Delaware. My oldest son just started 11th grade, my youngest son started 9th grade, and my daughter is beginning her first semester of college here.

Each place I’ve called home has shaped me in unique ways, teaching resilience, adaptability, and the beauty of embracing change. From coast to coast, from mountains to bays, and from resort towns to college towns, I’ve learned that home isn’t just a place; it’s the journey, the people you love, and the life you build along the way.

Elkton Fall Fest 2025 – A First-Time Experience

/ stlmaryland / Leave a comment

This past Saturday, my daughter, her boyfriend, and I walked from my home to downtown Elkton to check out the annual Fall Fest. It was my first time attending, and while the event was smaller than I expected, it had a welcoming hometown feel.

We arrived around lunchtime, which turned out to be a quieter part of the day. The streets weren’t crowded, so it was easy to stroll along, visit the vendors, and take in the atmosphere. While it was hot outside, the lighter crowd made it more enjoyable to move around without feeling rushed.

The festival had a full lineup scheduled, including live music, a petting zoo, a rock wall, and more. Somehow, we completely missed a section of the event called Adventure Zone, which is where the animals and rock wall were located. I’ll definitely make a point to explore that area next year.

Even though we missed some activities, I still enjoyed browsing the vendor booths and came home with a couple of unique finds. My favorite purchase was a wooden and enamel crab sign that says “Maryland” across it, perfect for my dining room. Later, I also found out that chair massages were happening while we were there, which I unfortunately overlooked. Next time!

Overall, the Fall Fest was a nice community event with plenty to do. While timing (and maybe a better sense of direction) would have made our visit even better, I’m glad we went. Now that I know what to look for, I’m excited to experience even more of Elkton’s Fall Fest next year.

☕ Support the Journey

If this post resonated with you or made you feel a little less alone on your own path, you’re always welcome to support my writing with a cup of coffee. Your kindness helps me keep sharing real stories and new chapters, one step at a time: 👉 coff.ee/smalltownmichele

The MVA Chronicles

/ stlmaryland / Leave a comment

✅ I’ve got my Maryland driver’s license
I’ve got my Maryland insurance… but it doesn’t start until August 20th, which means I can’t even make an MVA appointment until the 21st. One hoop at a time, right?

In the meantime, I figured I’d knock out the vehicle inspection. Easy. Or so I thought.

The inspection went just fine — until the guy pointed out a tiny rock chip in my windshield. One little nick from a road trip to Fort Bragg, California… in June of 2021. It’s been there for years with no issue, but in Maryland, that’s a fail.

So I drove straight to a local glass place. They charged me $97 to fill it — and honestly, it didn’t look like they did anything at all. No joke.

I took the receipt back to the inspector and showed him the “repair.” He squinted at it, then looked at me and said:

“They did a HORRIBLE job.”

😳

Then he smiled and said:

“But I’m not going to ding you for their mistake. You’re good. I’ll pass it.”

Welcome to small-town Maryland — where the rules are strict, the inspections are honest, and sometimes the guy behind the counter has enough heart to give you a break when it counts.

One more step closer to those Maryland plates. 🛻
One more day closer to not driving around with California plates like a lost tourist. 😅

☕ Support the Journey

If this post resonated with you or made you feel a little less alone on your own path, you’re always welcome to support my writing with a cup of coffee. Your kindness helps me keep sharing real stories and new chapters, one step at a time: 👉 coff.ee/smalltownmichele

🍅🌶️ First Harvest of the Season

/ stlmaryland / Leave a comment

There’s something so satisfying about stepping outside and picking food you’ve grown with your own hands. This week, I finally harvested my first veggies of the season, juicy red tomatoes and jalapeño peppers!

Watching those little green plants turn into something vibrant and full of life has been such a rewarding experience. The tomatoes are plump and sweet, perfect for slicing onto sandwiches or making a Caprese salad. And those jalapeños? Let’s just say I’ll be making some homemade salsa very soon — with a kick!

Gardening has become a quiet joy in my life. It reminds me to slow down, be patient, and take in the little wins. This first harvest may be small, but it’s just the beginning of what I hope will be a bountiful garden for years to come.

Have you picked anything from your garden yet? Share your favorite ways to use fresh tomatoes or peppers — I’m always up for new ideas!

☕ Support the Journey

If this post resonated with you or made you feel a little less alone on your own path, you’re always welcome to support my writing with a cup of coffee. Your kindness helps me keep sharing real stories and new chapters, one step at a time: 👉 coff.ee/smalltownmichele

🚗 A Lesson in Waiting: When the Car Finally Came

/ stlmaryland / Leave a comment

Alex’s car finally arrived! We hadn’t had it since June 11th, but on July 12th, it was loaded onto a transporter and it made the long journey all the way from California to Maryland.

After more than a week of waiting, calls, delays, and vague updates, the car is finally here. And I’m grateful. But I’d be lying if I said the whole experience didn’t test my patience in ways I wasn’t quite prepared for.

The car had made it to Philly a week ago. I knew that much. And then… it just sat. Four whole days of sitting. Not moving, not progressing, not being delivered. Every day I called, asked for an ETA, and got the same uncertain tone on the other end. “Soon.” “Maybe tomorrow.” But tomorrow kept shifting.

And here’s the thing: I may not have had official updates, but I had other ways of knowing where the car was. Let’s just say I had eyes on the situation, aka an AirTag. I didn’t say a word to the delivery company, of course since some things are better left unspoken. But that quiet knowing, that silent tracking, made the waiting somehow feel even longer.

Because I knew it wasn’t stuck in traffic. It wasn’t on the way. It was just sitting still. Close, but not quite home.

And that’s where the real lesson came in – Waiting isn’t always about time, it’s about surrender.
Letting go of control. Resisting the urge to push. Choosing calm even when every part of you wants to scream, “Just deliver the car already!”

It reminded me how uncomfortable patience can be. Not the light, fluffy kind where you say “it’ll happen when it happens”, but the gritty, frustrating kind where you know what’s supposed to be happening, and it still isn’t. Sometimes in life, delays aren’t just setbacks, they’re gentle redirections guiding us exactly where we need to be, even if we don’t see it right away.

But eventually, the wait ended. The car showed up. Alex has wheels, and I’ve got a story (and a little more restraint) under my belt.

Turns out, patience isn’t about sitting still, it’s about what we choose to do while we wait.

☕ Support the Journey:
If you’ve ever waited for something that felt like it should have already arrived, while quietly tracking the chaos in the background, you’re not alone. If this post gave you a moment of “yep, been there,” feel free to support my writing with a cup of coffee: 👉 coff.ee/smalltownmichele

The Itch I Didn’t Pack For…

/ stlmaryland / Leave a comment

If you told me a few months ago that I’d be dealing with ticks in my house, I would’ve laughed and probably made a face. But here we are.

Back in Tahoe, fleas and ticks just weren’t part of daily life. I never had to think about them. But now that we’re in Maryland? I’ve already found three ticks inside the house. It’s giving me that mental itchiness you can’t quite shake. You know where you’re not even sure if something’s crawling on you, but your brain says “probably.” The stupid phantom feelings, LOL.

It’s not just ticks either. The mosquitoes here have made me their personal buffet. I’m completely covered in bites, and I’ve just about had it. The kids are fine (I haven’t put anything on them), and the cats are indoor-only, so they’ve been spared. Me? Not so lucky.

So, I’m trying the natural route. I’ve started using essential oils in the yard, and I’ve been working on planting herbs outside that are supposed to help repel ticks and fleas, like Rosemary, Mint, and Lavender. I also ordered a product called No-Bite off Amazon, hoping it’ll give me some kind of relief. No chemicals, no bug sprays on the kids — just me trying to keep the bugs off my body and out of my space without losing my mind. I even ordered the Wondercide Flea & Tick Concentrate for Yard & Garden and sprayed the whole backyard the other day. Not totally sure I did it right or if I used enough, because I still found a tick in the house today. So… yeah. I’m learning as I go. Maybe I need a second round, or maybe the ticks didn’t get the memo yet.

No one warned me about this part of East Coast living. The trees are beautiful. The air is soft. The backyard is green and alive… but so are the bugs.

Still, I wouldn’t trade the peace we’ve found here. I just didn’t expect to be sharing it with quite so many six-legged roommates.

One bite, one oil blend, and one deep breath at a time.

If this post made you laugh, cringe, or feel just a little more seen in your own messy moments, you can always support my writing with a cup of coffee. Your kindness helps me keep sharing the real stuff, one bug bite at a time: 👉 coff.ee/smalltownmichele