Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl

I dedicate this post to my Grandma, Margie Mae Alexander: August 9, 1928 – August 4, 2023. I remember the morning she came running through the door. “Debbie, Debbie!” Finding my Mom’s concerned face in the kitchen, she said, “Come quick, it’s Mesha.” Mesha was our golden retriever. “What?!” “Yes, her tail fell off.” ByContinue reading “A Well-Lived Life”

My office is empty without my leafy monstera plant, filling the space to the left of my chair. I placed the guitar there as a filler, but I do believe on my return even the guitar will go. I’m no guitar player. Uh oh. A habit. I could start by picking it up. Which IContinue reading “Magically Mushroomy”

I decided to downsize the number of toys in Evelyn’s bed from 15 to just 2. It wasn’t an easy transition, and we cuddled through it as she expressed her feelings of injustice. I understand where she’s coming from, but rules are rules. Lately, I’ve been having several conversations about habits. A therapist friend mentionedContinue reading “Somewhere With You”

As I drive the final half mile to work, I observe the sun-worn figures, their hands holding onto “Slow” sign poles, walkie talkie antennas, and cigarettes, a scene that greets me every morning adjacent to a construction zone. On the next block, the food bank line forms with several dozen people, some seated on theContinue reading “It’s The Grind”

Maybe I’m going through a transition, much like the phases of the moon. It feels like a part of me is dying to make way for something new. That might be why I’m feeling a bit out of sorts, and my mind is as restless as a hummingbird’s flit from flower to flower. Interestingly, wheneverContinue reading “Moving On Up”

As drive-in theaters no longer beckon down the road, we find ourselves in the grass for another night of movie-watching in the yard. Oh, how I miss those nostalgic nights at the drive-in, like the time I squeezed into the back seat of my Mom’s ’89 Buick Century to watch Coneheads. My brother and IContinue reading “Let’s Go To the Movies”

I must admit, I was torn about how to respond. My initial reaction was to lie, tell her she’s a piece of shit, or simply not respond at all. My blood boiled at the text, and my thoughts became a jumbled mess. Thankfully, I resisted the temptation to react impulsively and instead sought Dave’s matter-of-factContinue reading “Low Places”

I’m taking the night off from writing if you don’t mind. With it being a childless night, Dave swept me off to an Indian food dinner and The Barbie Movie. And now we’re onto ice cream and no good. I’ll be back better than ever tomorrow. Love, Jaclynn P.S. Just because I love a goodContinue reading “Date Night”