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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."

How to Describe My Late Husband? I Can’t Find the Words

October 29, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

2017-eclipse-of-the-sun

How to describe my late husband? I can tell the Jon stories, but when it comes to evoking the singularity that was Jon, words fail. Read more.

Widowed: It’s Jon the Old Guy I Miss the Most

October 22, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 14 Comments

old-man-on-his-deck

Widowed, I miss Jon the old guy of our last years together — when it had become clear we’d be sticking together till death did us part.  Read more.

I’m Thanking People a Lot These Days. Why Is That?

October 15, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

thanking people, including the man-power-washing-deck

I notice that I’ve been thanking people a lot lately. People — not God, not the Universe, not “the force that through the green fuse drives the flower.”  Read more. 

Widowed: No Dreary Memorial Brick for My Husband

October 1, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 12 Comments

widowed memorial-brick-jon-newhall

A memorial brick for Jon in the new neighborhood plaza? Yes, but only if it could also bear the names of the people who loved him. Read more. 

My Deceased Husband’s Laptop — I Fixed It Myself!

September 24, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

my deceased husband's laptop

My deceased husband’s laptop had become my favorite, fun laptop in the months following his death. But now I couldn’t open it. Read more.

Widowed: I Don’t Like My Life

September 17, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 12 Comments

I don't like my life, but I did like my sunny-cheerful-airbnb-house

I’m widowed and I don’t like my life. Stranded 2,000 miles from home with covid proved easier than facing the life that awaited me back home.  Read more.

Guo Pei’s Wearable Splendor (Wearable? Maybe Not. Splendid? Oh, Yes)

August 13, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

[caption id="attachment_36247" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]guo-pei-east-palace  [/caption]

The opulent imaginings of China’s premier couturier Guo Pei are on view at San Francisco’s Palace of the Legion of Honor through Sept. 5.  Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

I’m Thankful for Friends, Family, Pumpkin Pie and — It’s a Girl!

Christina Newhall takes stuffing from 2013 Thanksgiving turkey. Dad Jon helps. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Eleven things I’m thankful for this season. And, once again, pumpkin pie and stuffing make the list. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • A Case of the Human Condition
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  • On Writing & Reading
  • 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!

pregnant-woman

Unplanned Pregnancy? I Wasn’t as Alone as I Thought

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

cabin-fever-at-home

Oh-Oh. Is Cabin Fever Setting In? — Sheltering at Home Day 6

may-your-days-be-merry

May Your Days Be Merry!

MORE DON'T MISS!

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