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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
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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."

My Years Are Numbered. Give Me Those Blossoms — Now

April 15, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

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.

A Meditation for Holy Week: An Afterlife Where Time Does Not Exist?

April 8, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

an-afterlife-where-time-does-not-exist Lisbon-cathedral-crucified-christ

Eternal life? That’s got to be boring as hell. How about an afterlife where time does not exist, that’s outside of time as we know it?  Read more.

Widowed and Lonely

April 1, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 34 Comments

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.

Tales From the Pandemic Shut-Down — It’s Been Three Years

March 25, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

tales from the pandemic shut-down: covid-19-warning

Memories of the strange and frightening months of quarantine are fading. Is it time to retell those tales of the pandemic shut-down?  Read more.

What to Say to a Widow

March 18, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 8 Comments

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 12 Comments

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 9 Comments

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.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Why Can’t a Dad Be More Like a Mom? . . . Do We Really Want Them To Be?

Men and housework and childcare. A man carries his affectionate toddler girl. Photo by Barbara Newhall

My friend Carol calls them “the little inequities.” She is talking about the small, countless ways that men fail to notice what needs to be done for their children. 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!

On April 4, 2016, former employees of the Oakland, California, Tribune, had a wake in honor of the paper's last day of publication. Photos by Barbara Newhall

Oakland Tribune: The Trib Is Dead, Long Live the Tribbers

feral-plum-tree-blossoms

Not Dead Yet. That Feral Plum Tree Lives On

A relaxed groom in red t-shirt smiles and carries his Mens's Wearhouse tux in a bag. Photo by BF Newhall

The Mother-of-the-Groom Diaries: The Day Before the Big Day

A Dad, a Mom and an 8-Year-Old With a Bashed Lip

MORE DON'T MISS!

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