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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 Baby to Adopt — The Letter That Made It Happen Forty Years Ago

December 5, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

a-baby-to-adopt adoptive-family

I wanted a baby. My husband wanted a baby. After years of trying to get pregnant, it was time to look for a baby to adopt.  Read more.

Unplanned Pregnancy? I Wasn’t as Alone as I Thought

October 24, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

unplanned-pregnancy

It was the late 1960s, and I was a single woman living on my own in New York City facing the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy.  Read more.

I Miss My Grown-Up Children — More Than I Can Say. Sheltering at Home Week 30

October 10, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

I-miss-my-grown-up-children

I last put my arms around Peter in January. He was here for his birthday, I haven’t seen him — or his sister — since. Read more.

He’s Not Bald After All. Thank You, Covid-19. Sheltering at Home Week 28

September 26, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

jon-newhall-Zodiac-News-Service

Thanks to the coronavirus, my husband hasn’t had a haircut in six months. It turns out he’s not bald after all. He’s got hair, lots of it.  Read more.

Grandparents Day Is Today — How to Grandparent and Why

September 13, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Grandparent's Day. A grandfather, father and grandson, circa 1941. Photo by Tinka Falconer

It’s Grandparents Day today. How to be a grandparent? I haven’t a clue. Why do we do it? I have some thoughts on that one.  Read more.

Petunias! A Shopping Success Story. Sheltering at Home Week 21

August 2, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

pink-petunia-blossoms

The plant nursery down the hill was open for business. Everybody wore masks. Carts were wiped down with bleach. And there were — petunias! Read more.

The Lost Art of the Telephone Conversation — Here’s What Happened to It. Sheltering at Home Week 14

June 19, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

the lost art of the telephone conversation

I know why young people do all that texting. It’s because 21st-century wireless phones make for a lousy telephone conversation, and kids want to — talk. Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Weight Lifting Can Kill You — Shall I Email the News to My Weight-Lifting Son?

Peter Newhall, a young man in his 30s, bench presses at a gym. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Weight lifting can kill you. Death by dead lift and dumbbell can sneak up on you long after you’ve put the weights back in the squat rack. 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

 
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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!

Barbara Falaconer Newhall taking a gift from the family Christmas tree. Photo by Jon Newhall

The Perfect Christmas Tree — I Finally Found It

A portion of a crazy quilt made in 1971 by Barbara Falconer Newhall of calico fabrics in primary colors. Photo by Barbara Newhall

The Quilt From Hell — Forty-Two Years Later, It’s Still Not Finished

Cover of the Sept. 1, 2016, Kirkus Review, which contains a review of "Wrestling with God" by Barbara Falconer Newhall

Kirkus Reviews ‘Wrestling with God’ This Month

guo-pei-elysium

Guo Pei’s Wearable Splendor (Wearable? Maybe Not. Splendid? Oh, Yes)

MORE DON'T MISS!

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