My Ever-Changing Family

Our family shrinks and grows. People die. People get born. People get mad and won't talk to you for a while. Kids grow up and find partners of their own, and pretty soon there are brand-new in-laws. And a grandchild or two.

Regulations: Will Trump’s Slash and Trash Deregulation Put Americans at Risk?

January 30, 2017 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 3 Comments

Do we really want to dispense with government regulations that prevent disasters — like the Ghost Ship warehouse fire that killed 36? Read more.

Autumn in the Garden, When Sensible Plants Pack It In for the Winter . . . And a Healing Ankle

January 26, 2017 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

It was autumn in the garden and all the grim stuff that happens as winter sets in — death, rot, shrivel and retreat — made for a thing of beauty. Read more.

Wisdom From My Father — Or, How to Sweep the Kitchen Floor

January 19, 2017 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 7 Comments

“Think about what you are doing,” my father told me. “Use your head.” His advice still applies in a 21st-century world neither of us could have imagined. Read more.

Something Old — Ten Ideas, Old and New, From a Mother of the Bride

January 5, 2017 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 5 Comments

As a mother of the bride whose past reaches deep into the 20th century, I’ve got lots of ideas for my daughter’s wedding day “something old.” Read more.

Fifteen Patriotic Holiday Gifts for the Worried Progressives on Your List

December 22, 2016 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 7 Comments

I’m giving patriotic holiday gifts this year — donations to groups that can help keep our country sane during the stormy Trump years ahead. Read more.