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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

A Case of the Human Condition

I’m Barbara Falconer Newhall and I’ve got an incurable Case of the Human Condition. And since you do too, I’m counting on you to laugh and cry along with me as I riff on life as we know it . . . Below you'll read about my creaky, old fifties house, my forays into home gardening, my shopping stories, my spectacularly low-fashion wardrobe -- and more.

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

March 12, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

satsuma-lamp decluttering

Everybody’s decluttering, including my friends and family, and sometimes other people’s unwanted stuff ends up on my doorstep.  Read more.

Grievance and Outrage — Good in Small Doses

February 12, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

mouth-of- grievance and outrage

Grievance and outrage have soured American discourse, public and private, for the past five years. And, yes, I find that outrageous. Read more.

Wishing You a Hope-y New Year

January 1, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall


hope-y new year times-square-new-years

Hope-y New Year! Here’s to a hope-filled 2022. Not because hope will solve the climate crisis or end the culture wars. But just . . . because.  Read more.

What Do You Say When Someone Dies?

November 6, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

condolence-cards

What do you say when someone dies? How to console a friend? There’s not much you can say do do — except to just be there.  Read more.

Widowed: ‘What Is Grief, If Not Love Persevering?’

October 16, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

jon-newhall-on-his-deck

“What is grief, if not love persevering?” — that’s from the TV miniseries “WandaVision.” A nice thought. But I’m not there yet.  Read more.

Widowed: I’m Planting a Secret Garden Outside My Office

October 9, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

secret-garden-space

My husband is gone, but I’m hoping that planting a secret garden outside my door will give me living things to keep me company as I work.  Read more.

How to Grieve — A Message From My Mother-in-Law

September 11, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

how to grieve 1940s-children

How to grieve? I don’t know. I’m not ready to give up being broken-hearted, outraged, horrified at the sudden death of my husband.  Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Older, but Wiser? Or, When Life Gives You Lemons, Freeze Them

older-but-wiser-or-when-life-gives-you-lemons-freeze-them

Older, but wiser? Maybe. We elders can’t give you wisdom, but we can give you some tips, like when life gives you lemons, freeze them.  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!

A glamorous red-head close up

Grace Falconer Perlmutter Kleis — How to Be a Glamorous Gal at Age 98

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

1940s-children

How to Grieve — A Message From My Mother-in-Law

presidio-cemetery-golden-gate

The Older You Get, the More Dead People You Know

MORE DON'T MISS!

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