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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

DON'T MISS!

I've written hundreds and hundreds of posts over the years. To help you find your way to the best of the best, I've tagged my favorites "Don't Miss!" Scroll down here to find them.

Another way to locate Riffs on Life that you might enjoy is to click above on your favorite category – "My Ever-Changing Family," perhaps, or "Funny Button." You can also use the search box located way up top to hunt for stories by topic. There's fun reading at "garden," "aging," "kids" and, of course, "Jon."

Sheltering at Home Revisited: The Virus Arrives

March 16, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

covid-19-warning

Sheltering at home revisited: The virus arrives, the shutdowns go into effect, and we find out how much our “mere” acquaintances mean to us.  Read more.

Widowed: The One Good Thing About Grief

March 9, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall


the one good thing about grief damaged-mandala

The one good thing about grief  is — there’s not a darned thing you can do about it. Someone has died, and that’s that.  Read more.

A Leap Year Leap: She Asked. He Said Yes.

February 29, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

jon-newhall-1976

Widowed: Jon and I had been dating for several years. No marriage proposal was coming my way. But a Leap Day was. Read more.

Widowed: He’s Still Not Back and It’s Been Three Years

February 24, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

widowed he's still not back  rain-february-19-bay-area

Where is Jon? I’ve been widowed three years and I’m still expecting him to come back. It’s not possible that he is gone for good, snuffed out.  Read more.

Widowed: The Things My Husband Wanted. (Or, We Are What We Want)

February 17, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

JON-NEWHALL

I feel the sharpest grief when I picture my husband alive and wanting something, planning something — picking out artichokes for dinner, making a grandchild laugh. Read more.

Nature Giveth and Nature Taketh Away

January 27, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

nature giveth. nature taketh away. flowering-tree

Against all odds, a flowering fruit tree took root in the wild canyon below our house, but not for long. Nature giveth, nature taketh away.  Read more.

Widowed: Am I Grieving? Or Am I Just Lonely?

January 13, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

empty-home-office

Am I grieving, or am I just lonely? When I spotted my husband’s empty office chair, I was overcome by — what? Sorrow? Or simple loneliness?   Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

A Case of the Human Condition: I Want to Kill My Snapdragons

Maroon snapdragons growing in the yard of Barbara Falconer Newhall. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Those maroon snapdragons in my front yard are ugly. But they’re alive. Can I rip them out? 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!

An unused barn and silo in Mason county, MIchigan. Photo by Barbara Newhal. Barbara Falconer Newhall travels up and down Michigan's lower peninsula, visiting friends and family and putting on book events for "Wrestling with God."

Mason County, Michigan — My One-Woman Road Trip Takes Me to Falconer Country

The mother of the bride contemplates the figure flaws she'll be showing off at her daughter's wedding. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Six Ways to Look Dreadful at Your Daughter’s Wedding — A Mother-of-the-Bride Moment

charity-donations

My Deceased Husband’s Mail — I Like Getting It

TINKA-FALCONER

The Darkening Days — And My Mother’s Last Hours

MORE DON'T MISS!

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