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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.

The Fourth of July — With Liberty and Justice for All

July 1, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

American-flag-detail with liberty and justice for all

Some think flying the American flag is a right-wing thing to do. For me, the flag is a symbol of good old “liberty and justice for all.”  Read more.

Tint My Eyebrows? It’s an Existential Question

June 10, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

fading-eyebrows-aging

It’s an existential question I’ve been asking myself lately: do I go gentle into that good night — or do I tint my eyebrows?  Read more.

Those Wild and Wooly Pandemic Hairdos — Tales From the Covid Shut-Down

June 3, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

wild and wooly pandemic hair woman-with-pandemic-hair

I thought the flawless, pre-covid Nancy Reagan coiffure would fade away, and the wild and wooly pandemic hairdos would prevail. Wrong!  Read more.

Women — Can They Have It All?

May 27, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

women -- can they have it all, like singer-songwriter-jaspar-lepakWomen — can they have it all? Can a woman have the child and her dreams of a career? I say, yes, she can. Go for it!  Read more.

Kegeling With Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin — Tales From the Pandemic Shutdown

May 20, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

michael-douglas-alan-arkin men kegel

I didn’t know men could kegel until I saw actors Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin discussing their kegels in Netflix’s “The Kominsky Method,”  Read more.

An Unruly Garden Tamed at Last

May 13, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

markings-for-a-new-garden-path

An unruly garden tamed: Neglected during the pandemic, it had become a leafy free-for-all with star jasmine tangling with Japanese anemone.  Read more.

In Defense of Pink

April 29, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

encore-autumn-carnation-azalea-in-defense-of-pink

In defense of pink: Pink is a legitimate color. It deserves respect. It’s not teal. It’s not periwinkle. It is pink, and it has a lot to give.  Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Wanted: An Evening Handbag That’s Pretty — And Big Enough to Do the Job

A small silver evening bag at Nordstrom with ruching and a chain sells for $268. Photo by BF Newhall

There’s no such thing as a presentable evening bag that can hold what a woman – a real one – needs to put into her purse these days. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • A Case of the Human Condition
  • My Ever-Changing Family
  • On Writing & Reading
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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!

Head and shoulders photo of James Dobson that appeared on the cov of the 1985 paperback edition of his book "The Strong-Willed Child."

James Dobson: Bully Your Pet, Hit Your Kid, Make Them Obey You–And God

Jack Shoemaker of Counterpoint Press spoke at the Oct. 5 meeting of Left Coast Writers at Book Passage, Marin. Photo by Barbara Newhall.

Jack Shoemaker of Counterpoint Press Shares Fifty Years of Book Publishing Wisdom

Barbara-Falconer-1960s

Unmarried and (Probably) Pregnant in Mid-Century America

farmers-maret

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

MORE DON'T MISS!

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