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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

I Confess. In 2020, I Washed the Potatoes. With Soap

April 5, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

sanitizing-mail-during-pandemic

It was April, 2020. The pandemic was underway and you couldn’t be too careful about what you let into your house, including your groceries. Which is why I washed the potatoes, with soap.  Read more.

What to Do With Those Battered Old Baby Shoes? Hide Them in a Wall, of Course

March 29, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

baby-shoes-hidden-in-a-wall

Those battered old baby shoes? Hide them in a wall. It’s centuries old tradition that lets you declutter without giving up your dear old stuff.  Read more.

When the Rough-In Plumbing and Electrical Are Things of Beauty

March 22, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

When the Rough-In Plumbing and Electrical Are Things of Beauty copper-pipes-new-bath

The hidden secret behind the sheetrock in my bathroom — the rough-in plumbing and rough-in electrical are things of beauty.  Read more.

My Porta-Potty Has Finally Arrived! And Coming Soon — A Bath Remodel

March 15, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

My porta-potty has arrived. Coming soon, my bath remodel.

My Porta-potty has arrived. Finally. Coming soon, a brand-new bathroom with a huge stall shower, comfy bench and lots of grab bars.  Read more.

Five Years Ago This Month — Covid Shut Down Our World

March 8, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

five years ago this month covid

Five years ago this month covid shut down our world. There wasn’t much to do, so I wrote a lot of covid stories, some sad and some, I like to think, amusing.  Read more.

Widowed: He’s Gone. And Now So Is His Barbecue

March 1, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

widowed he's gone and now so is his barbecue-utensils

I’m widowed. He’s gone, and now so is his barbecue. They are just things, I tell myself. They aren’t Jon. And decluttering is a good thing. The kids like it when I get rid of stuff.  Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

A Midwestern Flower Garden — Beautifully Dead In the Dead of Winter

A snow-covered Midwestern flower garden in winter with dead leaves and twigs from last year's flowers. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I couldn’t wait to head outdoors to see how my favorite flower garden was faring under a half foot of snow and temperatures below zero. 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!

heather donahue author of "grow girl." photo by michele clement

Book Openers: A Heather Donahue Lexicon — Flopsweat and Larfy Defined

Dooney-&-Bourke-handbag

Beware. The Decluttering Craze Could Leave You Holding the Designer Handbag.

Belief Is Seriously Overrated — You Don’t Have to Be a Believer to Believe

mountains and lake inyo national forest. Photo by Barbara Falconer Newhall

At Tuolumne — Celebrating Getting Born

MORE DON'T MISS!

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