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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
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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Need some levity? Read on!

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.

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.

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

February 22, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 1 Comment

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.

Widowed: Did My Husband Know I Loved Him?

February 15, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 1 Comment

Widowed: Did My Husband Know I Loved Him? Zodiac-News-Service-Nov-11-12-1972

We were not gushy, Jon and I, and that was fine with me. Widowed now, I’ve been wondering, was I too stingy with my affections? Did my husband know I loved him?  Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Wanted: An Evening Handbag That’s Pretty — And Big Enough to Do the Job

A small silver evening bag at Nordstrom with ruching and a chain sells for $268. Photo by BF Newhall

There’s no such thing as a presentable evening bag that can hold what a woman – a real one – needs to put into her purse these days. 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!

 

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