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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

Widowed

Jon died unexpectedly at the age of 79. I thought we'd have many more years together. We won't.

My Husband Was Bald — And Then He Wasn’t

May 31, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

jon-newhall-1968

With the covid shutdown, Jon stopped going to the hairdresser. Soon he wasn’t as bald as we thought he was.  Read more.

Widowed: He’s Gone. And Now So Is His Barbecue

March 1, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

widowed he's gone and now so is his barbecue-utensils

I’m widowed. He’s gone, and now so is his barbecue. They are just things, I tell myself. They aren’t Jon. And decluttering is a good thing. The kids like it when I get rid of stuff.  Read more.

Widowed: Did My Husband Know I Loved Him?

February 15, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 1 Comment

Widowed: Did My Husband Know I Loved Him? Zodiac-News-Service-Nov-11-12-1972

We were not gushy, Jon and I, and that was fine with me. Widowed now, I’ve been wondering, was I too stingy with my affections? Did my husband know I loved him?  Read more.

Am I an Artist? Or Am I a Brand?

January 18, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

am i an artist or am i a brand barbara-falconer-newhall-writer-FB-page

What kind of writer am I anyway? When I sit down to the keyboard, is it to write something beautiful — or something that will sell?  Am I an artist? Or am I a brand?  Read more.

Widowed: My Husband’s Stuff Is Still Here. I’ve Got My Reasons

January 11, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

widowed my husbands stuff obsolete-tech-books

Marriage is mostly about presence, about being there. Jon’s not here anymore. But his belongings are.  Read more.

Widowed: Some Thoughts Before Election Day — From Jon

November 2, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 14 Comments

thoughts before election day jon-newhall-with-american-flag

Thoughts before election day: My husband’s 2010 opinion piece on the Pledge of Allegiance assumed a social trust that’s since gone missing in America.  Read more.

I’m 83 and I’m Dumping My Bucket List

September 28, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 10 Comments

dumping out my bucket list the-breakers-newport

Sometime between the pandemic and my husband’s death I began dumping out the contents of my travel bucket list.  Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

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

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.


MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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  • A Case of the Human Condition
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  • 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!

the politics of houseork. a man is working in the kithcen. Photo by barbara newhall

The Politics of Housework, Revisited

Author Lauren Winnerchecks her cell phone at The Glen in Santa Fe in 2009. Photo by BF Newhall

. . . And Two Books I Did Read, Sorta — By Lauren Winner and Anne LaMott

Ann Lamott at a book signing in Oakland, CA, spring 2012. photo by BF Newhall

Anne Lamott on Getting Older — Drop That Rock

violet pansy blossom with green edges. Purple Rain. Photo by Barbara Newhall

My Purple Rain Garden: Is the Universe Trying to Tell Me Something?

MORE DON'T MISS!

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