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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.

Scan Those Family Photos — Today!

October 8, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

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.

Happily Married? One of You Is Going to Get Your Heart Broken

July 23, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

couple-on-michiga-beach -- happily married? One of you is going to get your heart broken

When I see a happy couple, long-married or newlywed, I want to say, “Happily married? One of you is going to get your heart broken some day.”  Read more.

What Makes Me Happy? Having a Happy Kid, of Course

July 2, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

what makes me happy.  Our-son-and-grandchild

What makes me happy? Catching one of my kids in a moment of real time happiness. Like my son holding his newborn for the first time.   Read more.

Widowed. I’m Fine Until It’s Time to Go Home

June 18, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

widowed I'm fine until it's time to go home

A day-long hike at Pt. Reyes keeps my mind off the fact that I’m widowed — and I’m fine until it’s time to go home.  Read more.

The Abortion Wars: Forcing a Woman to Continue a Pregnancy Is a Form of Assault

May 7, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

the-abortion-wars pregnant-woman

Requiring a woman to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term is an assault on her agency as a person. It’s also literally an assault on her body.  Read more.

Widowed, I Celebrated His Birthday With Cupcakes

March 19, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

widowed celebrating his birthday two-birthday-cupcakes

Widowed, I celebrated his birthday without him — with two birthday cupcakes, one for him and one for me. Because there were still two of us.  Read more.

Widowed: Or, How to Wrestle a Christmas Tree Into Its Stand Without Calling the Neighbors for Help

December 11, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

watering-the-Christmas-tree

The kids are coming for Christmas. A tree is in order. But how’s an newly minted widow to wrestle a Christmas tree into its stand on her own?  Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

My Mother’s Writing Desk Is Not My Writing Desk. Here’s Why

ink-stain-in-an-old-desk-drawer

Being in the same room with my mother’s writing desk is like being in the same room with my mother, which is why her desk isn’t in my writing room.  Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

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

 
Need some levity? Push my Funny Button!

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!

Barbara Falconer Newhall's left eye prior to cataract surgery. Here eyes are brown. Photo by Barbara Newhall

The Cataract Chronicles: Letting the Light Into That Other Eye

Donald Trump studies Barack Obama in a TV shot. The conversation was gracious. I'm following suit. I'm going to stop bad-mouthing Donald Trump. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I Decided to Stop Bad-Mouthing Donald Trump. But Will I?

Jon and Barbara Newhall at Getty Museum tram, 2012. Photo by Christina Newhall

A (Lengthy) Case of the Human Condition: Married 35 Years

1986 home office with computer monitors, toddler and sleeping cat. Photo by BF Newhall.

‘Read Me a Story, Mommy, But Not That One You Wrote’ (Or,The Nicest Thing My Husband Ever Said to Me)

MORE DON'T MISS!

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