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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

My Husband’s Name or Mine? I Need Them Both

February 18, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

my husband's name or mine? my maiden name has its stories, including a 1960s-girl-swimmer

My husband’s name or mine? I need them both — the name I was born with and the one I took the day I married.  Read more.

Widowed: John Donne, Meet Leonard Cohen — And Send Us a Song, Please, From the Mystery Beyond

February 11, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

leonard-cohen-documentary

I’ve spent evenings with songwriter Leonard Cohen and gone to bed with poet John Donne. I want to say, ‘John Donne, meet Leonard Cohen.’ Read more.

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

February 4, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

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.

What to Do With My Late Husband’s Winter Coat?

January 28, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

my late husband's coat, man's-puffy-jacket

I wanted to keep my late husband’s winter coat. It let me feel close to him. But the weather was turning cold. Someone needed that coat.  Read more.

The Little Tug That Could — Cross an Ocean. Scott Newhall and the Eppleton Hall

January 21, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

scott-newhall-eppleton-hall-captain

Scott Newhall and the Eppleton Hall: A doughty San Francisco crew sails an English paddlewheel across the Atlantic and on to California.  Read more.

My New Year’s Resolution — Do Less. Not More. Subtract!

January 14, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

rock-path-garden

Now that I’m widowed, my to-do lists are twice as long as they used to be. So I’m turning tradition on its head and making my New Year’s resolution — do less!  Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

The Quilt From Hell — Forty-Two Years Later, It’s Still Not Finished

An unfinished quilt and stray piece of calico overflow from a storage drawer. Photo by Barbara Newhall

It had been staring at me from that drawer for decades. The quilt from hell. My wedding present to my brother and his wife. Never finished, never presented. 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

 
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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!

jon-Newhall-at-Signal

He’s Not Bald After All. Thank You, Covid-19. Sheltering at Home Week 28

Displayed at the East Bay Heritage Quilters show "Voices in Cloth 2016" quilt show in Richmond, CA.. a detail of "Hopscotch," by Susan Fuller. Photo by Barbara Newhall.

East Bay Heritage Quilters — Quilts, Dazzling Quilts

fact-the-word

‘The Lifespan of a Fact’ — Fun Words, Now Playing in Berkeley

11th Annual Tower Chapel Tulip Exhibition, Mouintain View Cemetery, Oakland, CA "F9UND OBJECT IN A BED OF TULIPS," STAFFORD BUCKLEY GARDEN RESTORATION, OAKLAND

What a Tulip Can Do — If You Ask It

MORE DON'T MISS!

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