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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 Years Are Numbered. Give Me Those Blossoms — Now

April 15, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

lavender-stalk my years are numbered

My years are numbered. Who knows, I might be at the point where I’ve got more money than time. Give me the plant that’s ready to bloom — now.  Read more.

Widowed and Lonely

April 1, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

widowed and lonely john-singer-sargent-la-carmencita

I want friends and family to think I’m doing just fine, even though I’m not. The truth is, I’m widowed and lonely.  Don’t miss.

What to Say to a Widow

March 18, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

What to say to a widow twin-baby-boys

What to say to a widow? Here’s a tip: If the widow in question is me — tell me a true story about my husband.  Read more.

Old and Getting Older — The Octogenarian and the Four-Year-Old

March 11, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

4-year-old-girl is old and getting older

Some old people, including me, are a lot like little kids. We like to brag about how old we are. Read more.

People Don’t Die Anymore — They Pass

March 3, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

people don't die anymore they pass. this grandfather died a few years after helping his grandchild with her shoes

People don’t die anymore — they “pass.” Otherwise sophisticated, hard-headed people are resorting to euphemisms when the subject is death.  Read more.

I’ve Been Widowed Two Years. Now What?

February 25, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

widowed two years Jonathan-Newhall-gravestone-california

I’ve been widowed two years. What’s next? Anything? My future feels as blank and inscrutable as it did those first months after Jon’s death.  Read more.

Widowed: John Donne, Meet Leonard Cohen — And Send Us a Song, Please, From the Mystery Beyond

February 11, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

leonard-cohen-documentary

I’ve spent evenings with songwriter Leonard Cohen and gone to bed with poet John Donne. I want to say, ‘John Donne, meet Leonard Cohen.’ Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

My Husband’s Name or Mine? I Need Them Both

my husband's name or mine? my maiden name has its stories, including a 1960s-girl-swimmer

My husband’s name or mine? I need them both — the name I was born with and the one I took the day I married.  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!

A dream about wrestling. Detail of a column in the Wurzburg Cathedral, shaped in a knot. Photo by Barbara Newhall

A Dream About Wrestling With — Uh, Who Was That Anyway?

pratt-and-larsen-tile-niche

It’s True. My New Bathroom Is . . . Beautiful

Memorial to journalists killed in the line of duty at the Newseum in Washington, D.C, bears the names of thousands of journalists. Photo by Sam Kittner/Newseum

Journalists Killed in the Line of Duty: Foley, Sotloff Joined by Dozens Each Year

heuchera-and-iceland-poppy-clashing

It’s Spring and My Garden Looks Dreadful. Here’s Why

MORE DON'T MISS!

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