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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.

Will Donald Trump Be the Death of Me? Pardon My Rant as I Shelter in Place — and Wind Up Praying for the President. Day 11

March 28, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 19 Comments

will donald trump be the death of me?

Dying is bad enough. It’s another thing to contemplate dying because Donald Trump is in the White House. Read more.

Day 10 Sheltering at Home — No Furnace, No Heat

March 27, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 1 Comment

no furnace, no heat. our 31-year-old-Day-and-Night-furnace quit on us today

No furnace, no heat. Last month as COVID-19 bore down on California, our 70-year-old sewer line gave out. Today, our 31-year-old furnace followed suit. Read more.

Sheltering at Home Day 9: I’m Going for the Small — Really Small — Pleasures.

March 26, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

Small-Pleasures-new-barn-lights-two-sizes

There are small pleasures to be had while sheltering in place. OK, they’re really, really small. But I’m making the most of them. Read more.

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures: I Just Used Glue on a Postage Stamp — Sheltering Day 8

March 25, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 5 Comments

envelope-with-stamps desperate times desperate measures

I’m breaking rules all over the place today, like using forbidden glue to attach stamps to an envelope. Desperate times, desperate measures. Read more.

Dining in a Construction Zone — Sheltering at Home Day 7

March 24, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

dining-in-a-construction-zone

We’re dining in a construction zone. Social distancing has brought our home remodel to a halt, so we’re moving into our half-finished dining room anyway. Read more.

Oh-Oh. Is Cabin Fever Setting In? — Sheltering at Home Day 6

March 23, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

cabin-fever-at-home

Is cabin fever setting in at our house? Staying home and out of breathing distance of COVID-19 is driving me and mine into cranky arguments. Read more.

We Are Pushing 80 — Do We Stay Out of Supermarkets? Sheltering at Home Day 5

March 22, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 3 Comments

farmers-maret

At age 79, should my husband stay out of supermarkets during the COVID-19 pandemic? He’s used to making daily trips for groceries. Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Widowed: Or, How to Wrestle a Christmas Tree Into Its Stand Without Calling the Neighbors for Help

watering-the-Christmas-tree

The kids are coming for Christmas. A tree is in order. But how’s an newly minted widow to wrestle a Christmas tree into its stand on her own?  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 makes dinner at the Newhall house. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Widowed: Lucky Me, I Told Jon Newhall I Loved Him

A dream about wrestling. Detail of a column in the Wurzburg Cathedral, shaped in a knot. Photo by Barbara Newhall

A Dream About Wrestling With — Uh, Who Was That Anyway?

Two teenager girls in Bermuda shorts, 1950s. Photo by DG Falconer

A Case of the Human Condition: A Half Century Later I’m Still a Size 10 . . . OK, 12

rock-path-garden

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

MORE DON'T MISS!

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