Big news. Big changes are coming for this vintage — 2009 — website.
No. 1 Big Change for My 2009 Website — A New Design
Dubbed A Case of the Human Condition way back in 2009 when I put up my very first post, this website has become a golden oldie over time.
Its original hand-built platform is no longer supported by WordPress, so Cheryl, my steadfast tech coach, has gone to work on a major redesign, bringing the site up to date.
The redesign will go live this week. The 800-plus posts and their thousands of links will take time to populate, so don’t be surprised if you bump into one of those annoying 405 or 503 notices in the coming days.
Too, the site will look different from now on. Roughly half my subscribers and visitors view the website on their mobile devices, so the site’s new look will accommodate everyone’s cell phones as well as their laptops.
So, please be patient while we rearrange the furniture at A Case of the Human Condition. And enjoy the new look.
No. 2 Big Change for My 2009 Website — I’ll Be Posting Monthly
Another big change coming up: I’ll be posting monthly instead of weekly.
As 2026 approached, I asked myself, what new year’s resolution could I make that I would actually, realistically execute?
It was — do less, not more.
Instead of adding yet another gotta-do to my already formidable to-do list, I decided take some items off of it and give myself some space.
For example, just because a magazine or newspaper has entered my house doesn’t mean I have to read it cover to cover. I could toss it out partially read — or completely unread! — and be the better for it.
A tougher long-time habit for me to give up would be posting once a week on this website. I would miss the satisfaction of getting a piece written every week. But those weekly posts take time — the better part of a day — to write, photograph, format and post.
A full day, every week.
That’s a day I could use to hunt for a publisher for my just-finished memoir in essays, “Wanting It All: Dispatches from a Twentieth-Century Mom.”
It’s a day I could spend at the Watershed plant nursery up in Richmond, picking out drought-resistant, deer resistant, fire resistant native plants for the empty spots my backyard.
A day I could be visiting my brother over on the Peninsula, or my daughter in Los Angeles, or my housebound neighbor up the street.
A day I could spend on the deck outside my writing room lolling in the recliner Jon bought for me six years ago, but that I have never, ever used. And it’s getting rusty.
There’s no guarantee that I’ll limit myself to one post a month. You might see a bonus post from time to time, if the mood strikes me.
But that’s my new year’s resolution. Give myself some space. Do less, not more.
Wishing you a happy — spacious — New Year!
Good for you Barbara. You have charged through life, and through grief since Jon died five years ago. You are remarkable and I’m delighted with your new schedule. I would like to do this one with you: “It’s a day I could spend at the Watershed plant nursery up in Richmond, picking out drought-resistant, deer resistant, fire resistant native plants for the empty spots my backyard.” Could be great fun, and you know how I like fun. xxx eb
It’s a deal. But I thought you didn’t like shopping, especially in the company of an overshopper like me?
Absolutely love the idea of doing less as a New Year’s resolution. Can’t wait to hear how it goes! It’s inspiring me to try something similar, but maybe in 2027.
Ha. Ha. You are saying that it will take you a full year to gather up enough will power to do less. I get it. It will be just as hard, if not harder, for me to do less than it has alwys been to do more,
Good to give your readers a heads-up re: big changes in your website. I revamped several years ago, from a basic WordPress blog to a completely redesigned website. Like you, my posts go back years. Sometimes it’s fun to see what I wrote way back. I’ll look forward to seeing the new design, etc. And I wish you well with your memoir.
Thank you Deborah. I’m excited about getting a new look. There will probably be lots of tweaks yet to do.
You go, gal. It’s always a good thing to take time to “smell the roses”. Happy 2026!
Yep! 😉
Wise move. I will continue to read your monthly and occasional weekly.
Wonderful! See you there!
Dear Barbara — I’m sure your devoted fans will chastise me for saying this — I will terribly miss the weekly observations from my woodsy, feisty writer friend. Chastise, because of course ! we support your choices whether for stone for the garden path or for new space in life.
My feet, like yours, climbed the Lake Michigan sand dunes each summer. And in 1969 I drove alone across the U.S., in my case from Ohio, to San Francisco’s then green and flowery Union Square — and stayed. It’s been exciting to read our parallels and divergences over the decades.
Kudos to you! Though I will miss your weekly voice, I look forward to your 12 musings each year.
Sharon Metzler
Your Page-to-Stage buddy
Oh, wow! You know about Michigan sand dunes!
Twelve musing a year? I have the funny feeling that there will be a lot more than that, my 2026 resolution notwithstanding!
Indeed! Kudos to you! I find that inspiring. We all do too much. Thanks for giving me permission not to read all of every magazine!
Happy New Year to you Barb! I am having my L hip replaced on Wednesday morning here in Reno. Part of me is apprehensive and part of me can’t wait to be rid of this pain I’ve had for years on and off.
I continue to enjoy my weekly, now monthly check in with you.
All the best for doing less!!
Deidre
Good luck with the hip. That’s a project that is definitely worth keeping on the to-do list — my friends love their new knees, hips, eyes.
Kudos to you on all fronts, Barb! You’re my model for thinking-through and smartly approaching both keeping up and letting go, especially since we’re the same age. I’ll continue to follow-you and could not be happier to have known you since our high school days. Cheers!!
Ann Buchanan Teixeira
I feel lucky to have you as a friend of so many years — high school, college and beyond. Cheers!