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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

Barbara’s Riffs on Life

Widowed: He’s Still Not Back and It’s Been Three Years

February 24, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

widowed he's still not back  rain-february-19-bay-area

Where is Jon? I’ve been widowed three years and I’m still expecting him to come back. It’s not possible that he is gone for good, snuffed out.  Read more.

Widowed: The Things My Husband Wanted. (Or, We Are What We Want)

February 17, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

JON-NEWHALL

I feel the sharpest grief when I picture my husband alive and wanting something, planning something — picking out artichokes for dinner, making a grandchild laugh. Read more.

Widowed: We’re Older and Kinder Now

February 10, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

we're older and kinder now kindness-carey-mulligan-as-felicia-montealegre

I’m older and kinder now, but not because I’m a virtuous goody-good. It’s my irresponsible id, my reptilian brain, that wants to be kind.  Read more.

California Clay: Oozing, Writhing, Glistening Art. Now at the Bedford Gallery

February 3, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

blot-by-Mary-Alison-Lucas

Bedford Gallery’s “California Clay” show, where ceramic art forgets to look like art and chooses instead to ooze, glisten, drip and writhe.  Read more.

Nature Giveth and Nature Taketh Away

January 27, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

nature giveth. nature taketh away. flowering-tree

Against all odds, a flowering fruit tree took root in the wild canyon below our house, but not for long. Nature giveth, nature taketh away.  Read more.

Am I Still Old? Or Am I Elderly Now?

January 20, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

am-i-still-old-or-am-i-elderly-now-grab-bar-bathroom

Head-spinning vertigo had me stumbling around the house like an old lady. I had to wonder, am I still just old? Or have I moved on to being elderly?  Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

A Case of the Human Condition: When a Six-Year-Old Flies Solo

6-year-old boy dressed as cowboy. photo by barbara newhall

My mother-in-law was on the phone. Could my 6-year-old son Peter come to Southern California for a week’s visit with her? “A week?” I thought. Could I get along without my little son for a whole week? 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!

a stack of copies of "Go Set a Watchman" by Harper Lee in a bookstore. photo by barbara newhall

Atticus Finch — Meet Mother Emanuel

Detail of a grren, white and red mural depicting the Virgin of Guadalupe on the outer wall of a laundromat in East Austin , TX. Photo by BF Newhall.

SXSW: Austin — A City With Its Soul on Its Sleeve

Sue Johnson’s Lamps and Shades — Works of Art From a Little Shop in Berkeley

Shopping Stories: Arts and Crafts in Berkeley’s Labyrinthine Sawtooth Building

MORE DON'T MISS!

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