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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

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.

Cindy Newhall Weyant — A Bright Light Has Gone Out

April 1, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 9 Comments

cindy newhall weyant. Photo by Barbara Newhall

My beautiful niece, Cindy Newhall Weyant, died in her sleep Tuesday night. Read more.

Superbowl: My Guys Are Talking Sports — And All Is Right With the World

January 29, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

nfl 2015 superbowl playoffs, seattle-greenbay, TV screen shot of game. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I like listening to my husband and son talk about football and basketball. I like the comfortable, father-son tone: My guys are talking sports and all is right with the world. Read more.

My Old Stuff — A Little Moldy, a Little Dusty, but Unlike Certain People It’s Still With Me

December 18, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

a pair of old alumunium crutches with disintegrating padding. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Things. They stay where you put them. They don’t talk back or upchuck on the Persian rug. They don’t require thank-you notes or post cards from Tahoe. I like my things. Read more.

The Perfect Christmas Tree — I Finally Found It

December 4, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

Rows of perfectly shaped christmas tree on a tree farm. Creative commons photo

At the Christmas tree lot, the kids played hide ’n’ seek amid the trees, leaving me to find the perfect Christmas tree. The responsibility weighed heavy. Read more.

Little Girls Are Superior to Little Boys — Here’s Why

June 12, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 9 Comments

A 5-year-old boy wearing shorts holds on to the arm of a 3-year-old girl in a dress. Photo by BF Newhall

Little girls are superior to little boys. This fact is not written down in black and white anywhere. The popular baby books talk warily around the topic of sex differences. And researchers will make only minor, technical concessions to the superiority of girls. Read more.

The Weekend I Talked — And the Kids Listened

April 10, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 1 Comment

A traditional house in an snowy, tree lined neighborhood in southwest Minneapolis offered by Edina Realty. Photo by BF Newhall

You know your kids have turned into grown-ups when they listen to your advice. I don’t mean take your advice. I mean listen – gently and kindly – as you talk away . . . Read more.

For Wetter, For Drier — I’m Married to California

February 27, 2014 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 8 Comments

The slopes along the Grapevine in Southern California are dry and grey during February 2014 drought. Photo by BF Newhall

Basically, there are two kinds of Californian. Those who are delighted by a sunny February day. And those who are dismayed. Jon is one of the latter. You can chart the weather by Jon’s moods. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

What’s Rhetoric? Let My Two-Year-Old Enlighten You

My daughter Christina discovered the art of rhetoric when she was being weaned from baby bottle to plastic cup. She’d say, “I want milk and I don’t want it in a cup” — an elegant illocutionary statement that usually got her what she wanted, her bottle.

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!

Actor-christopher-dennis-superman

Widowed: The Superman at My House

A beach at Chimney Rock, Point Reyes, CA, is covered densely with elephant seal females and pups. Photo by BF Newhall

At Point Reyes: Wild Flowers . . . and Animals Wild and Tame

A bride wearing a plaid dress sits among frothy wedding dresses at Le Marriage, LA. Wedding dress shopping. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Wedding Dress Shopping — When Your Daughter Lets You Tag Along

A chinese girl in navy sweater and white collar gives the peace sign to foreigners on the GReat Wall. Photo by BF Newhall

For China’s Young Fashionistas the Cultural Revolution Is So Over

MORE DON'T MISS!

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