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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."

Was My Mother Was a 1950s Tradwife?

May 2, 2026 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 8 Comments

at-the-beach-in-the-1940s

My mother was a tradwife, a bona fide 1950s tradwife. That’s what she wanted. That’s what she got. Read more.

The Trouble With Poinsettias

April 5, 2026 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 10 Comments

poinsettias

The trouble with poinsettias is — they don’t know that Christmas is over and it’s time to make an exit.  Read more.

Widowed: If I Visit His Grave, Will It Help?

February 28, 2026 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 10 Comments

newhall-gravesite-colma

I said hello to Jon and his family, and then there was nothing more to do in this graveyard.  Read more.

Maybe I Want a Facelift After All

January 31, 2026 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

window-with-houseplants

Facelifts that leave your cheeks looking like you’re facing into 100-mph headwinds are not for me. Or are they?  Read more.

Big News — Big Changes for This 2009 Website

January 10, 2026 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Big Changes for This 2009 Website lawn-chair-on-deck

Two big changes for my — 2009! — website: a major redesign and a more spacious writing schedule for me.  Read more.

Finding Hope for Our Time — In Handel’s ‘Messiah’

January 3, 2026 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

camellia-blossom-in-full

Finding hope for our time: Charles Jennens’ libretto for Handel’s “Messiah” was a response to his time — and ours.  Read more.

The Top Religion Stories of 2025 — From Religion News Association

December 26, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

top religion stories of 2025 religion-bookshelf

The top religion stories of 2025 from the Religion News Association reflect a world of turmoil — and hope.  Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

My Mother’s Writing Desk Is Not My Writing Desk. Here’s Why

ink-stain-in-an-old-desk-drawer

Being in the same room with my mother’s writing desk is like being in the same room with my mother, which is why her desk isn’t in my writing room.  Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • A Case of the Human Condition
  • My Ever-Changing Family
  • On Writing & Reading
  • My Rocky Spiritual Journey

 
Need some levity? Push my Funny Button!

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!

2024-calendar

Here Comes Another Year!

Mark-myer-painting-eppleton-hall

The Little Tug That Could — Cross an Ocean. Scott Newhall and the Eppleton Hall

gallery-goers view Nancy Selvin's works in gouache on paper at the Light Room, Berkeley, CA, 11-2013. Photo by BF Newhall

How to Grandmother – When the Grandkids Live 2,500 Miles Away

The slender stalks of a dracena marginata growing too talk for their living room setting. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Help! My Dracena Marginata Has Hit the Ceiling — What Can I Do?

MORE DON'T MISS!

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