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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
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Sheltering at Home Chronicles

The coronavirus is having its way -- for now. We are sheltering at home -- ordering food to be delivered and taking careful socially distanced walks in the neighborhood. We worry. We laugh. We worry some more. And, like so many people around the world, we are inventing new ways to order and enjoy our lives.

I Let the Maytag Man Into the House. And I Here’s What I Learned About Human Nature. Sheltering at Home Week 7

May 3, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

time to call the Maytag Man

Plumber, handyman, Maytag Man, flood abatement guy. Four service people came into our house this week, bringing help and simple human kindness. Read more.

Dead Washing Machine. Leaky Water Heater. Do I Let a Plumber Into the House? Sheltering at Home Week 6

April 23, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

siphon-washing-machine-water

Two major appliances have bit the dust at our house. How many people will be coming into our house to repair them? Will the coronavirus come with them? Read more.

Post-Coronavirus, What Will Happen to All That Hugging We’ve Been Doing? Sheltering at Home Week 6

April 19, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

hugging fake-hugs-Cordero-Roman

Personally, I like a little time to pass, and an actual friendship to evolve, before I do any serious hugging with somebody. Read more.

I Miss My Friends. But I Miss My Acquaintances More — Sheltering at Home Week 5

April 17, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

I miss my acquaintances. A Zoom exercise class gave me the chance to say hello to some of them.

I miss my acquaintances. I miss the shopkeepers, the women in my Zumba class, the friends of friends, all the people who know me, but don’t know my name. Read more.

Death, Taxes, the Constitution. The IRS Has Granted a Reprieve. Will the Grim Reaper? Sheltering in Place Week 5

April 15, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

death, taxes, the constitution -- a tax form

Death, taxes, the constitution. One has been postponed to July. Death is closer than ever. But what about the permanence of Ben Franklin’s constitution?  Read more.

Now’s Your Chance to Let Your Roots Grow Out. I Did It. Here’s Why — Sheltering at Home Week 4

April 10, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

let your roots grow out. woman-with-white-air-barbara-falconer-newhall

Let your roots grow out? Not an easy decision. But I was home sick with mono, too sick to go to the hairdresser. Now I love my glamorous new look. Read more.

The Coronavirus Cruise Ship Has Disappeared From Our View. Why Does That Make Me Sad? — Sheltering in Place Week 4

April 8, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

coronavirus cruise ship -- a grand-princess-promo-shot

The Grand Princess was white and stately, a pretty sight, yes. But there was something else about the coronavirus cruise ship that kept us checking on it every day. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

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

An unfinished quilt and stray piece of calico overflow from a storage drawer. Photo by Barbara Newhall

It had been staring at me from that drawer for decades. The quilt from hell. My wedding present to my brother and his wife. Never finished, never presented. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • A Case of the Human Condition
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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!

 

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dilapidated-side-yard

Fixing Up That Homely Old Side Yard — At Last

A photo taken probably 1962, when Barbara returned from summer in Europe with souvenirs for family. Barbara Newhall photo

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John Donne's poetry is as turbulent and evocative as this Lake Michigan surf in summertime. Photo by Barbara Falconer Newhall

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ten year old boy in baseball uniform catches the ball. Photo by Barbara Newhall

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