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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.

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

December 11, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 20 Comments

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.

Breaking News: The Afterlife Is ‘Fantastic’

December 4, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 17 Comments

the afterlife is fantastic
This just in — the afterlife is “fantastic.” That’s the news from Jon. And he should know, he’s been in the afterlife since February. Read more.

Widowed: As He Lay Dying

November 27, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 12 Comments

as he lay dying -- but he was healthy three months earlier to hangs-quilt

I wasn’t in the hospital when Jon died. I couldn’t hold his hand or say any words as he lay dying. Did he know his life was coming to an end?  Read more.

Talk to My Deceased Husband? I Can’t Do It

November 20, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

man-on-recumbent-bike

Talk to my deceased husband? Some widows can. Not me. I can’t talk to Jon without going to that awful place where he is no more.  Read more.

Widowed and the We-Ness of Marriage

November 13, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 24 Comments

Father-with-two-grown-kids

I’ve been widowed nearly nine months now, and I still can’t let go of the we — the we-ness of marriage. Here’s why.  Read more.

What Do You Say When Someone Dies?

November 6, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 12 Comments

condolence-cards

What do you say when someone dies? How to console a friend? There’s not much you can say do do — except to just be there.  Read more.

Halloween — A Day for the Dead

October 30, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

Halloween-a-day-for-the-dead scary-mask

In the spirit of Día de Muertos, I’m making this Halloween a day for the dead: I’m publishing a story or two told about Jon at his interment.  Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Grace Falconer Perlmutter Kleis — How to Be a Glamorous Gal at Age 98

A glamorous red-head with her great nephew

My aunt was tall, red-headed, blue-eyed, self-sufficient and glamorous at a time and place when most women in her hometown wanted nothing more than to get married, have babies and put up green beans and blackberry jam. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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  • 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!

 

DON’T MISS!

Artist Judy Seidel in her Berkeley studio, her colorful abstract paintings in the background. Photo by BF Newhall

Judy Seidel: Click Here for an Eyeful of Her Life-Affirming Paintings

Peter Newhall at the wheel of the family car, read to take his first solo drive. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Revisiting My First Blog Post Ever — How the Selective Service Made a Man of My Son

white blossoms of flowering tree up close

Beauty Is in the Eye of the Beholder – But What If There’s No Beholder?

D.B. Falconer building tree house. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Wisdom From My Father — Or, How to Sweep the Kitchen Floor

MORE DON'T MISS!

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