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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.

What to Do With a Kid on a Rainy Day

December 31, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

what to do with a kid on a rainy day

Grandchild No. 1 came for a holiday visit and it rained all week. Here’s what we found to do with a kid on a rainy day.  Read more.

A Widow’s Christmas Card — Where’s Jon When I Need Him Most?

December 10, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 10 Comments

a-widows-christmas-card

My first widow’s Christmas card — my husband isn’t here to compose the poem and photoshop the card. How do I pull it off without him?  Read more.

An Urban Oasis: Keeping It Wild — And Fire Resistant

November 26, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 5 Comments

trimming-tree-urban-oasis

Beaconsfield Canyon was blighted with trash and invasive species — until its human neighbors took it upon themselves to restore their wild urban oasis.  Read more.

Scan Those Family Photos — Today!

October 8, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 11 Comments

scan family photos family-photos-in-boxes-by-year

I have a closet big enough to store 38 shoe boxes packed with photos and negatives. My kids do not. It’s time to scan those family photos. Read more.

I Got Covid — Finally

August 27, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 18 Comments

I've got covid. here's my positive-covid-test

I finally did it. I got covid and ‘m feeling sick. But not too sick to do some on-line shopping for warm PJs to fend off the covid chills.  Read more.

Guo Pei’s Wearable Splendor (Wearable? Maybe Not. Splendid? Oh, Yes)

August 13, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

[caption id="attachment_36247" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]guo-pei-east-palace  [/caption]

The opulent imaginings of China’s premier couturier Guo Pei are on view at San Francisco’s Palace of the Legion of Honor through Sept. 5.  Read more.

Help! I Can’t Remember the Names of My Flowers

July 16, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 10 Comments

i can't remember the names of my flowers

I love my new flower garden. But, for the life of me, I can’t remember the tongue-twister names of my flowers: Aquilegia? Armeria? Scabiosa?  Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

I’m the Mother of the Groom – Now What Do I Do?

Bride looks at herself in mirror wearing vintage gown. Photo by BF Newhall

Aside from hosting the rehearsal dinner and showing up on the wedding day in a dress that is neither black nor white, one that obscures the multiple necks and iffy upper arms yet still manages to be pretty – what’s the mother of the groom supposed to do? Read More.

 

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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  • A Case of the Human Condition
  • My Ever-Changing Family
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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!

A christmas tree with lights, decorations and gifts piled up below. Photo by BF Newhall

It’s August, But It’s Not Too Soon to Wonder — Can Christmas Be Christmas Without the Kids?

Actor-christopher-dennis-superman

Widowed: The Superman at My House

Copy of a painting of Madonna and Child by Benozzo Gozzoli, 1420-1497. Photo by Barbara Falconer Newhall

Visions of the Baby Jesus Light Up Centuries of Art

Spode-Consul-china

Widowed: I Get to Have It My Way Now

MORE DON'T MISS!

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