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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

  • A CASE OF THE HUMAN CONDITION
  • MY EVER-CHANGING FAMILY
  • WRITING & READING
  • MY ROCKY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
  • WIDOWED
  • FUNNY BUTTON

DON'T MISS!

I've written hundreds and hundreds of posts over the years. To help you find your way to the best of the best, I've tagged my favorites "Don't Miss!" Scroll down here to find them.

Another way to locate Riffs on Life that you might enjoy is to click above on your favorite category – "My Ever-Changing Family," perhaps, or "Funny Button." You can also use the search box located way up top to hunt for stories by topic. There's fun reading at "garden," "aging," "kids" and, of course, "Jon."

Beauty Makes Me Happy — Why?

May 3, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

Beauty-Makes-Me-Happy-Why? Omega-cabinetry-liberty-hardware

Beauty makes me happy — why? What is it about beauty that causes me to loose myself in it?  Read more.

Was I a Tradwife in the 1980s? Or a Liberated Woman in Progress?

April 26, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

Was I a tradwife? family-of-four

Was I a tradwife back in the 1980s?  Or was I a second-wave feminist still figuring out how to make the marriage-family-career thing work?  Read more.

Have Americans Forgotten That Humility is a Virtue?

April 19, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

feet-in-a-stream

Have Americans forgotten that humility is a virtue? A couple dozen Christians met at my church on Thursday for a reminder.  Read more.

Forget Those Charming Little Forget-Me-Nots. They’re Not as Innocent as They Seem

April 12, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

forget-those-charming-little-forget-me-nots

Forget those charming little forget-me-nots. They’re not as guileless as they look. They have an agenda.  Read more.

I Confess. In 2020, I Washed the Potatoes. With Soap

April 5, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

sanitizing-mail-during-pandemic

It was April, 2020. The pandemic was underway and you couldn’t be too careful about what you let into your house, including your groceries. Which is why I washed the potatoes, with soap.  Read more.

What to Do With Those Battered Old Baby Shoes? Hide Them in a Wall, of Course

March 29, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

baby-shoes-hidden-in-a-wall

Those battered old baby shoes? Hide them in a wall. It’s centuries old tradition that lets you declutter without giving up your dear old stuff.  Read more.

Five Years Ago This Month — Covid Shut Down Our World

March 8, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

five years ago this month covid

Five years ago this month covid shut down our world. There wasn’t much to do, so I wrote a lot of covid stories, some sad and some, I like to think, amusing.  Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

The Night I Forgot to Make Dinner — A Rerun From the Archives

I forgot to make dinner

I planned a nice candlelit evening for my husband for that night, just as I’d dreamed of doing as a girl. Except I forgot to make the dinner.  Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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  • A Case of the Human Condition
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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

DON’T MISS!

jon Newhall works the Sunday NYT crossword puzzle in the SF Chronicle. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Retired Is a State of Mind — Six Ways to Know If You’re There Yet

cindy newhall weyant. Photo by Barbara Newhall

The Best Things in Life . . . Have Been There Since High School

raven-california

Blood and Guts in My Backyard. Or, Nature Tidies Up

cindy weyant newhall at the 2010 national open chess tournament in Las Vegas pondering a move. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Cindy Newhall Weyant — A Bright Light Has Gone Out

MORE DON'T MISS!

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