• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG
  • WRESTLING WITH GOD BOOK
  • CONTACT

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

Barbara’s Riffs on Life

Purple Bearded Irises — Close Up and (Very) Personal

May 8, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

[caption id="attachment_28388" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Irises -- An iris blossom close up. Purple. Photo by Barbara Newhall An iris blossom close up. Purple. Photo by Barbara Newhall[/caption]

There’s a heck of a lot of erotica going on inside an iris blossom. Stamen. Pistel. Haft. Claws. And, of course, those fuzzy, caterpillar-like beards. Read more.

The Writing Room: My Flesh Is Weary — Too Much Book-Writing, Not Enough Yoga

May 6, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

The cluttered desk and computer of a busy writer. Photo by BF Newhall.

Can you guess who wrote this? “Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” Hint: The writer’s been dead for at least two millenniums. Read more.

Confessions of a Carnivore: Why Eating Meat is OK — Sorta

April 24, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

[caption id="attachment_8640" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Cattle feed lot extending acres. Photo by BF Newhall Cattle feed lot extending acres into the distance at Harris Ranch, CA. Photo by BF Newhall[/caption]

I don’t see a clear difference between slaughtering a pig and cutting down a seven-story tree. Between netting the wild salmon I eat for dinner and harvesting my breakfast oats. Faced with a choice between killing a pig and killing the tree in our backyard – I’d kill the pig. Read more.

I’m a Meat-Eating Loser – I Didn’t Win the New York Times Ethicist Contest

April 22, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Artichokes stacked for sale at Whole Foods, Berkeley, CA. Photo by BF Newhall

I’m a meat-eating loser. I didn’t win the “Why It’s OK to Eat Meat” essay contest the New York Times Magazine put on a few weeks ago. But I’m OK with that. Read more.

A Makeover in the Works — We’re Updating My Website

April 9, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A Makeover in the Works — We’re Updating My Website

To Finish My Book I Need a Muslim Woman With a Story to Tell

April 2, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

[caption id="attachment_10985" align="aligncenter" width="500"]Berkeley CA artist Salma-Arastu with her painting Expansion of the universe. Photo by BF Newhall Berkeley CA artist Salma-Arastu with her painting “Expansion of the Universe.” Photo by BF Newhall[/caption]

I still need to find myself a few more people to interview for my book. A nice, talky Muslim woman, for one. Read more.

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 113
  • Page 114
  • Page 115
  • Page 116
  • Page 117
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 141
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

GET MY Riffs on Life BY EMAIL

True stories often told through a humorous lens–because you just can't make them up!

We respect your privacy and do not share your email with anyone.

 

LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

‘It’s Not My Jam’ — Is Not My Jam. Of Course, It Isn’t. I’m 81 Years Old, for Heaven’s Sake

community-of-writers

People in the know were saying, ‘It’s not my jam.’ A product of the 20th century, I was sticking to, ‘It’s not my cup of tea.’  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!

Lisbon-cathedral-crucified-christ

A Meditation for Holy Week: An Afterlife Where Time Does Not Exist?

Outdoor portrait of Jennifer Fulwiler, author of "Something Other than God: How I Passionately Sought Happiness and Accidentally Found It"

Atheist to Catholic–Two Brainy Women Get Religion

JON-NEWHALL-EDITING-COPY

Widowed: Marriage Mistakes — If I Could Have a Do-Over, Would I?

sonoma-tile-and-pratt-larson-tile-shower

Beauty Makes Me Happy — Why?

MORE DON'T MISS!

© 2009–2026 Barbara Falconer Newhall All rights reserved. · Log in