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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
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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."

A Week With Fellow Writers — Surprising Me With Gifts

July 30, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 12 Comments

[caption id="attachment_36196" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]communityi-of-writers-2022 We writers go to workshops, manuscripts in hand, hoping to get helpful feedback from our fellow writers. Sometimes we get more than we hoped.  Read more.[/caption]

Happily Married? One of You Is Going to Get Your Heart Broken

July 23, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 18 Comments

couple-on-michiga-beach -- happily married? One of you is going to get your heart broken

When I see a happy couple, long-married or newlywed, I want to say, “Happily married? One of you is going to get your heart broken some day.”  Read more.

My Deceased Husband’s Mail — I Like Getting It

July 9, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 10 Comments

charity-donations

When my deceased husband’s mail arrives in our mailbox, it’s often from charities he supported, so a little bit of him shows up along with it.  Read more.

My Deceased Husband’s Voice — Coming at Me From the Stars

June 24, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

my deceased husband's voice father-daughter

My deceased husband’s voice came at me the other day — from across the years, all the way from 1988 and a summer’s night under the stars.  Read more.

Widowed. I’m Fine Until It’s Time to Go Home

June 18, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

widowed I'm fine until it's time to go home

A day-long hike at Pt. Reyes keeps my mind off the fact that I’m widowed — and I’m fine until it’s time to go home.  Read more.

Jon Was a Sports Fan. Am I?

June 4, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 8 Comments

steph-curry a fave with sports fans

Jon loved sports. I didn’t. But I did love Jon, and he was a sports fan, so I followed his teams. Now that he’s gone, am I still a sports fan? Read more.

Did Covid Kill My Husband? Was He ‘Collateral Damage’ of the Pandemic?

May 28, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 16 Comments

did covid kill my husband? emergency-room-sign

Covid-19 has killed 1,000,000 Americans. How many additional, collateral casualties were there? Was Jon one of them? Did Covid kill my husband?  Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

‘The Lifespan of a Fact’ — Fun Words, Now Playing in Berkeley

the-lifespan-of-a-fact

Good natured but dead serious, “The Lifespan of a Fact,” raises questions that writers of nonfiction are constantly asking themselves.  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!

Facade of the National Cathedral, Washington, DC. Photo by BF Newhall

The Rise of the “Nones” – Young Americans Are Doing Without Church

A totality disappointment: An eclipse chaser lies on the ground for a better view of the total eclipse August, 2017, St. Joseph, MO. Photo by Barbara Newhall

A Totality Disappointment in St. Joseph, Missouri

A Thanksgiving turkey, roasted brown and ready to carve. Photo by Barbara Newhall

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

Barbara Falconer Newhall wearing her vintage Austrian Walkjanker wool jacket from Salzburg. Photo by Jon Newhall

Real Snow in Minnesota . . . and Real Warm in My Real Austrian Walkjanker

MORE DON'T MISS!

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