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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.

A Cry in the Night — ‘Mommy, I’m Scared’

December 14, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

Three-year-old girl in a red dress looking forlorn. Photo by BF Newhall
The baby books assert that American babies and children are ready to sleep through till morning and grant their parents an undisturbed night’s sleep by the time they are a year or so old. Not so in our household. A story from the Mommy Years. Read more.

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

November 30, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 12 Comments

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.

 

I’m Thankful For a Clean Oven, Fresh Ice Cubes . . . and a Daughter-in-Law-to-Be

November 21, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

Lava rocks laid in ground for steppingstone garden path. Photo by BF Newhall

 

What I’m grateful for, what I’m jazzed and excited about today, are the small things that have gone right for me lately: A clean oven, freshly washed windows, and a new steppingstone path for the garden — all in time for Thanksgiving. See more.


Will Our Kids Grow Up to Be Cheaters Like Lance Armstrong?

October 20, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

Peter Newhall looks up to catch the baseball. Photo by BF Newhall

Will my kids grow up to be cheaters? Is it possible to raise honest children in this Pete Rose-Bernie Madoff world — where something like 50 percent of students admit to cheating? Read More

When Your Kids Don’t Fight — Enough

October 6, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 5 Comments

brother-and-sister-holding-hands-halloween

My children do not tease each other like the normal sibling pair. They are nice to each other. I worry. Where did Jon and I go wrong?

A Case of the Human Condition: Am I Scotch?* Or Midwestern?

August 27, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

DB Falconer dances the Virginia reel with daughter Barb, Camp Morrison, MI, 1949. Photo by Tinka Falconer

Genealogically speaking, I’m not that far removed from Scotland. My father’s father was born near Glasgow. But the complex – presumably – set of beliefs and customs he and his parents brought with them to the shores of Lake Michigan in 1873 are lost to me now. Tartans have given way to Levi’s. Haggis has succumbed to pizza and Chinese take-out. When I think about where I come from, I do not think of Scotland. I think of Michigan. Read More.

Take a Second — To Celebrate the Fabled Leap Second

July 13, 2012 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Five digital clocks show leap second, 2012. Photo by Skip Newhall

My brother-in-law Skip loves to throw a party. This time it was a party in honor of — the Leap Second. Join in, kick back and enjoy the extra second in your life, compliments of Skip. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

At the Feet of Annie Dillard, Memoirist, Essayist, Observer of the Real

A well-read copy of"The Abundance" by Annie Dillard. Photo by Barbara Newhall

What draws me to author Annie Dillard — what makes me want to turn off the TV and grab one of her books — is her eagle-sharp eye for the world as it truly is. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • A Case of the Human Condition
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  • 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!

may-your-days-be-merry

May Your Days Be Merry!

scary-mask

Halloween — A Day for the Dead

A Thanksgiving turkey, roasted brown and ready to carve. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I’m Thankful for Friends, Family, Pumpkin Pie and — It’s a Girl!

Church bell tower, whitewashed church in the Greek Islands. Photo by BF Newhall

Theologian Harvey Cox: You Don’t Have to Believe to Be a Christian

MORE DON'T MISS!

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