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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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  • MY ROCKY SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
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Barbara Falconer Newhall

To the Himalayas and Back — In a Day and Duty Free

May 18, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

An array of wood carvings of gods and goddesses including buddha and ganesh on display table at Himalayan Fair Berkeley, May 2014. Photo by BF Newhall

Bay Area residents — it’s not too late to catch this year’s Himalayan Fair at Live Oak Park in Berkeley. Today’s the second and last day of the annual celebration of the cultures of Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan and North India — and a terrific shopping opportunity.

Nature. We Love It — But Does It Give a Darn About Us?

May 15, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

NASA satellite image of Great Lakes covered with ice and clouds, March 8, 2014. NASA image.

In her new book, Writing Wild, Tia Welling quotes the popular mythologist Joseph Campbell: “The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with Nature.” I like Joseph Campbell. But I’m not so sure about nature. Read more.

Photo Op: When the Sun Shines Sideways

May 8, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

The shadow of the photographer appears along side the shadows of the grass she is photographing. Photo by BF Newhall

I took a late afternoon camera walk in the woods the other day. The sun had dropped low in the sky, so the light was soft and was coming at everything sideways. Read more.

I Brake for Floor Plans — I Like to See How Those Other People Live

May 1, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Floor plan of condo on East 86 Street, Manhattan, with three bedrooms and 3.5 baths.

It’s Sunday morning. I pull the New York Times Magazine from the fat stack of newspapers on the breakfast table, fully intending to read the informative, thought-provoking articles inside. But I get no farther than page two, because that’s where the real estate ads are – the ones with the floor plans. Read more.

A Thousand Goddesses–Some Nice, Some Not So Nice–Take Your Pick

April 24, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Colorful, hand-painted terra cotta statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe, from Mexico. Photo by BF Newhall

I wish I had known Patricia Monaghan. She died a year and a half ago after a rich life as a poet, author, Goddess scholar, and pioneer and mentor in the contemporary women’s spirituality movement. She was an academic, yes, but also a hands-on kind of woman, as concerned with the temperature of her root cellar as the depth of her research. And that research is deep . . . Read more.

The Sad State of the Supermarket Strawberry

April 17, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Large, red strawberries on a blue and white plate. Photo by BF Newhall

I’m worried about the strawberry. It’s too late for the tomato. Its innards were transformed into colorless, flavorless – but easily shippable – pulp decades ago. Which is why I’m concerned about the strawberry. Is it going the way of the tomato? Read more.

The Weekend I Talked — And the Kids Listened

April 10, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A traditional house in an snowy, tree lined neighborhood in southwest Minneapolis offered by Edina Realty. Photo by BF Newhall

You know your kids have turned into grown-ups when they listen to your advice. I don’t mean take your advice. I mean listen – gently and kindly – as you talk away . . . Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Widowed: Where’s My Lead Pony?

antler-bar

A lead pony is the seasoned horse who escorts a anxious racehorse to the gate, exerting a calming presence. I’m widowed. Where’s my lead pony?  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!

Willis Tower, Chicago. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Scaling the Mighty Willis Tower — With My Acrophilic Husband

Bouquets to Art at the de Young — Where Poppies Dance and Cactuses Are Petit Fours

Studs Terkel, photo by Nina Subin

I’m a Studs Terkel Wannabe — He Captured American Voices

the politics of houseork. a man is working in the kithcen. Photo by barbara newhall

The Politics of Housework, Revisited

MORE DON'T MISS!

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