Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl

Property lines destabilize me. I doubt that a hundred acres, or even a thousand, could protect me from the internal wobble I do — balancing on a cable stretched thin. It’s just something buried deep down, and once flicked, it’s like a tablecloth being yanked out from under fine china, shattering every fragile piece ontoContinue reading “Survey Says”

“I want a lemon,” Evelyn declared, seated at the kitchen island with a barely touched bowl of spaghetti in front of her. My mind flicked back to earlier, slicing an orange for fermenting kefir water. Knowing we didn’t have lemons, I instinctively reached for my phone to add it to our digital shopping list onContinue reading “In the Chaos”

I have to type fast—Dave just found Star Trek: Discovery for us to watch. One of my clients recommended it yesterday, and I’m intrigued. I’m a big fan of universal truths, humanism, and exploring how our motivations and values shape behavior. But tonight, I’m bowing out early. Before I go, here’s a little something forContinue reading “No Bones About it”

Previous The primitive campground is a flat, grassy oval, bordered by weathered railroad ties. Picnic tables dot the space, each sheltered by crescent-shaped windbreaks, their curved structures a half-hearted attempt to tame the elements. While the idea of a solitary night under the stars tugs at me, the growing scatter of tents being pitched byContinue reading “Meeting Kent (Book Part 28)”

I want you to start your own blog. I’d like to hear your gripes, groans, and successes. I’d be so invested! Think about it, okay? From the couch, I can turn off the lamp and switch on the overhead canned lights with a single tap on my phone. Such a smart, good house I have.Continue reading “The Will to Build”

When the drill’s battery runs out of juice, you know it’s been a productive day of playhouse building. We’re on the home stretch now, with the next step being the gable at the roof’s pitch. Before calling it a night at dusk, I opened Merlin, my bird-call identifier, hoping to identify the owl hooting nearby.Continue reading “Workin’ on a Dream”

I dislike how politics has become a game of taking sides—a relentless us versus them mindset that clings to our brains like a terrified skier gripping the tow rope, never pausing to consider whether letting go might be the wiser choice. Us versus them is dangerous. It erodes our shared humanity, replacing connection with divisionContinue reading “Admit One: The Funhouse of Politics”

I gave up trying to lend a napkin as a landing pad to a baby daddy longlegs crawling across the bed. I have more important things to do, like writing. Instead, I ushered him toward Dave’s side, though now I’m wondering what’s stopping him from inching his way back to mine. Anyway, onto more pressingContinue reading “Parking Malarkey”

There’s something oddly joyful about watching beer-bellied grown men kicking their feet and bouncing happily on an inner tube. The unlimited snow tubing session at Ober Mountain gave me hours of people-watching entertainment, especially observing the crew tasked with keeping us big, clueless animals in check. They scanned our tickets, enforced the “no sitting orContinue reading “Slip Slidin’ Away”