Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl

The hummers are back, the hummers are back! The thought registered seconds after I watched the darting, mini narwhal-nosed flier poke in and out of one of the two feeders I’d stocked with a quarter cup of sweet sauce, just in case. Now I’m on alert. A portion of their energy source is me—and willContinue reading “Where the Wisteria Blooms”

A wet rag in hand, I grip the black front porch rail, wiping away the greenish-yellow, Ghostbusters-slime-colored pollen. Maybe it’s the color—the vibrance of it—that brings a text conversation with my friend Paul to mind. He’s in Portugal, sending photos of a bright blue sky over a lively cityscape. He said he could see ourContinue reading “From Grit to Glisten”

Running has become an obsession. I love it. Not every single second, mind you, but the moments just after a strenuous hill or a mentally low spot, the clouds part. I never know if or when I’ll break through, when the concrete suffering bubble will pop, but I’m here to say it does. And whenContinue reading “Make It To The Sign”

I find myself pondering the softness of the average Georgian when it comes to weather. It confounds me. I hate to be an “in my day” kind of older person, but… in my day, scheduled rec league T-ball practice did not get canceled for “being too cold” on a 50-degree, sunny day. I know thisContinue reading “Back to Square One”

My bird feeder and birdhouse game is lacking. The Eastern bluebird male and female pair are no longer okay with a seedy motel—they want the Taj Mahal. I see them perched on the janky, wire-mesh-bottomed hanging thing I made, propped on the shepherd’s hook. Their sideways looks and disapproving little head shakes tell me allContinue reading “Into the Unknown”

Since training diligently for the half-marathon in October, I’ve trudged. I’ve slodged. I’ve begged and pleaded my body forward. Watching videos on running posture—and actually practicing it—is helping. I feel more gazelle-like now, bounding forward from a strong midsection, asserting march-like steps that keep me in an empowered stance, even on an incline. I’ve shortenedContinue reading “A Softer Way Forward”

Evelyn participated in the Pinewood Derby—her first-ever Scouts activity. It’s the longest-running and most iconic Scout event, starting back in 1953. Her third-place finish for speed earned her a sleek car trophy (“It’s hollow inside,” she reported after an eyeball inspection), along with a participant badge and ribbon. After a short stint at home makingContinue reading “Small Town Saturdays”

There’s this epic cloud parting—Julie Andrews frolicking through the meadows, “The Hills Are Alive with the Sound of Music” swelling in the background—that’s what I see in my mind as I envision the berm with a raised bed I want to create in the front lawn. If you knew how the water drains here—straight toContinue reading “The Rights of Jaclynn”

You know that feeling when you can’t quite catch your breath? Not in the deep, satisfying, fill-your-lungs-all-the-way kind of way, but the opposite. Like something gets stuck. Your breath turns short, worry creeps in, and your eyes dart around as if pleading with the air gods to give you a break. That’s how I wasContinue reading “The Cost of Not Knowing”

You know how to skip, right? Just lift one knee and hop on the opposite leg. That lift-hop motion that you alternate—it turns out that, along with a slight lean forward, is proper running posture. So says the TikTok video I scrutinized and then immediately mimicked, bursting down the hallway to the bedroom and backContinue reading “Blowing in the Wind”