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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."

The Little Tug That Could — Cross an Ocean. Scott Newhall and the Eppleton Hall

January 21, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

scott-newhall-eppleton-hall-captain

Scott Newhall and the Eppleton Hall: A doughty San Francisco crew sails an English paddlewheel across the Atlantic and on to California.  Read more.

My New Year’s Resolution — Do Less. Not More. Subtract!

January 14, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

rock-path-garden

Now that I’m widowed, my to-do lists are twice as long as they used to be. So I’m turning tradition on its head and making my New Year’s resolution — do less!  Read more.

Widowed: Caught in the Time Warp of Grief

January 7, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

giants-cap-thriller-fest-cap putting me in a time warp

May Your Days Be Merry!

December 24, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

may-your-days-be-merry

On my Christmas card this year, “May your days be merry,” is code for — may your days be filled with hope and faith.  Read more.

Widowed: I Got Caught in the Act of Crying for My Husband

December 17, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

empty-home-office

I came home to what I thought was an empty house but, widowed, I got caught in the act of crying for my husband. Noisily.  Read more.

A Widow’s Christmas Card — Where’s Jon When I Need Him Most?

December 10, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

a-widows-christmas-card

My first widow’s Christmas card — my husband isn’t here to compose the poem and photoshop the card. How do I pull it off without him?  Read more.

Betty Rollin on How to Talk to a Widow

December 3, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Betty Rollin on what to say to a widow. I say ask her about her new rock-garden-path

Betty Rollin on how to talk to a widow: Betty says don’t assume she’s over it just because a year has gone by. I say, ask me about my garden. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

TV or Not TV: The Week We Turned Off Our 1980s Go-To Screen

TV or not TV? boy-with-stick

TV or Not TV? In 1987 the go-to screen for exasperated moms looking for a way to distract rambunctious kids was — the television set.  Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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  • A Case of the Human Condition
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  • 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 IPPY gold medal, awarded to winners of the Independent Publishers Book Awards.

My IPPY Gold Book Award — Celebrating High Above Chicago

View from the Tower of the Oakland, California, Tribune. The Clorox Building, the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Builing. Photos by Barbara Newhall

The Oakland Tribune Tower — A 1923 Structure With a Twenty-First Century View

secret-garden-space

Widowed: I’m Planting a Secret Garden Outside My Office

jon Newhall works the Sunday NYT crossword puzzle in the SF Chronicle. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Retired Is a State of Mind — Six Ways to Know If You’re There Yet

MORE DON'T MISS!

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