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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.

Our New Patio — We’ve Added a Another Room to Our House. Sheltering at Home Week 33

October 31, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 11 Comments

connecticut-blue-stone-patio our-new-patio

We thought we were just replacing some sandstone in our front yard. Little did we know, our new patio added a whole new room to our house. Read more.

Unplanned Pregnancy? I Wasn’t as Alone as I Thought

October 24, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

unplanned-pregnancy

It was the late 1960s, and I was a single woman living on my own in New York City facing the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy.  Read more.

Unmarried and (Probably) Pregnant in Mid-Century America

October 14, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 24 Comments

unmarried-and-pregnant? Barbara-Falconer-1960s

Unmarried and pregnant in the 1960s — I was too ashamed to tell anyone then. But I’m telling the story now. Here’s why.  Read more.

Window Treatment Sticker Shock — $13,000 for Living Room Drapes? Seriously? Sheltering at Home Week 29

October 3, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 3 Comments

window-treatment-sticker-shock sliding-doors-need-drapes

With a window treatment costing 13K and a new patio costing more than what an entire house once cost, we’re also facing retirement sticker shock.  Read more.

RBG: Glorious, Notorious — and Old

September 19, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

ginsburg-book-jacket

I want my little granddaughters to treasure and revere RBG because she was smart, compassionate, lovable — and old.  Read more.

Grandparents Day Is Today — How to Grandparent and Why

September 13, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

Grandparent's Day. A grandfather, father and grandson, circa 1941. Photo by Tinka Falconer

It’s Grandparents Day today. How to be a grandparent? I haven’t a clue. Why do we do it? I have some thoughts on that one.  Read more.

It’s My Birthday and I’m Really Old. Dang! Sheltering at Home Week 26

September 7, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

it's my birthday and I'm really old chocolate-birthday-cake-just-desserts

Today’s my birthday, another year has blown past, and I can’t help noticing that I’m really old, and I’m going to die sooner than I’d like. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Help! My Dracena Marginata Has Hit the Ceiling — What Can I Do?

A dracena marginat houseplant has grown so tall that it is crushing itself against the homeowner's ceiling. Photo by Barbara Newhall

My dracena marginata is doing itself in. It’s hurling itself against our living room ceiling. What’s a plant owner to do? Please advise. 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!

 

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