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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.

Sheltering at Home Revisited: The Virus Arrives

March 16, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

covid-19-warning

Sheltering at home revisited: The virus arrives, the shutdowns go into effect, and we find out how much our “mere” acquaintances mean to us.  Read more.

Widowed: We’re Older and Kinder Now

February 10, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

we're older and kinder now kindness-carey-mulligan-as-felicia-montealegre

I’m older and kinder now, but not because I’m a virtuous goody-good. It’s my irresponsible id, my reptilian brain, that wants to be kind.  Read more.

Here Comes Another Year!

December 30, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Here comes another year. Some of us have accumulated a lot of them. My glamorous Aunt Grace had racked up 98 years by the time she left the planet.  Read more.

Happy Holidays!

December 23, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

vintage-christmas-tree-ornament

I’m keeping my mid-winter greetings short and sweet today: May your holiday season be warm and bright! Happy Holidays!  Read more.

‘Tis the Season to Declutter. Or Is It?

December 9, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

1960s-peace-flag

‘Tis the season to declutter — to ditch the 1960s peace flag and make room for the garlic roaster and the pickleball paddles. Or is it?  Read More.

Blood and Guts in My Backyard. Or, Nature Tidies Up

December 2, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

blood and guts in my backyard raven-california

Blood and guts in my backyard: A half-eaten deer lay sprawled under my cypress tree. Ravens croaked the news from the tree above.  Read more.

Betty Rollin: A Light Has Gone Out. And So Have Many Others

November 30, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

betty rollin a light has gone out rosalynn-carter-casket

Betty Rollin: A light has gone out. And so have many others — Rosalynn Carter, Harry Belafonte, Dianne Feinstein, Cormac McCarthy, Daniel Ellsberg …  Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Shanghai Chic – Where a Woman’s Style Starts With Her Shoes

Canvas espadrille shoes decorated with stars and stripes in red, white and blue on the streets of Shanghai. Photo by BF Newhall

 

I thought I was traveling to China to explore the mysteries of China’s storied past — the big dynasties with their poetic one-syllable names: Ming, Tang, Han. But what really caught my attention was China’s storied present: The skyscrapers. The ubiquitous one-child families. The traffic jams. The fashionistas . . . 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!

Widowed: If I Visit His Grave, Will It Help?

mouth-of-outrage

Grievance and Outrage — Good in Small Doses

Armistead Maupin signs his book, "The Days of Ana Madrigal," at Book Passage, SF Ferry Building. Photo by BF Newhall

Armistead Maupin: The Man Who Wrote the Quintessential San Francisco Novel — On a Newspaper Deadline

A green freeway sign on California's Interstate 5 South indicating Los Angeles. Photo by BF Newhall

Los Angeles — The Good, the Bad and the Truly Ugly

MORE DON'T MISS!

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