• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG
  • WRESTLING WITH GOD BOOK
  • CONTACT

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."

Widowed: It’s Been a Year and He’s Still Gone

February 26, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 20 Comments

widowed It's been a year and he's still gone gravestone-jon-newhall

Yes, I am widowed — it’s been a year and he’s still gone. But I keep thinking he’ll be back any minute.  Read more.

Dying. It’s What We Do These Days

February 19, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 12 Comments

dying it's what we do these days Dave-McQueen-Zodiac jon newhall

I see that it’s not going to let up, this dying thing. I’m 80 years old now. I’m getting older and so are all my friends.  Read more.

Grievance and Outrage — Good in Small Doses

February 12, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 12 Comments

mouth-of- grievance and outrage

Grievance and outrage have soured American discourse, public and private, for the past five years. And, yes, I find that outrageous. Read more.

Widowed: I Called Tech Support and Got Ageism

February 5, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 14 Comments

samsung-galaxy-s21-ultra i called tech support and got ageism

I called tech support and got ageism. ‘Why don’t you get someone younger to help you?’ said the otherwise very nice techie. Read more.

Is There an Upside to Widowhood? I’m Looking at the Possibilities

January 22, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

Melissa-Orme-painting

Now that Jon is gone, I am keeping an eye out for reasons to like going it alone. I’m wondering, are there any upsides to widowhood?  Read more.

Widowed: Did He Die in Anguish?

January 15, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 24 Comments

did he die in anguish at alta-bates-summit-medical-center

No, Jon did not suffer. He did not die in anguish. It was over quickly, she said. Before he knew what was happening.  Read more.

Widowed: Advice From Beyond the Grave — Party On!

January 8, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 8 Comments

wedding-shower-gifts advice from a dead husband

How to mark the anniversary of Jon’s death? A visit to the cemetery seemed in order. Then along came some advice from my dead husband.  Read more.

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 18
  • Page 19
  • Page 20
  • Page 21
  • Page 22
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 80
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

GET MY Riffs on Life BY EMAIL

True stories often told through a humorous lens–because you just can't make them up!

We respect your privacy and do not share your email with anyone.

 

LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

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

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.

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!

Shopping Stories: Arts and Crafts in Berkeley’s Labyrinthine Sawtooth Building

A bride wearing a plaid dress sits among frothy wedding dresses at Le Marriage, LA. Wedding dress shopping. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Wedding Dress Shopping — When Your Daughter Lets You Tag Along

A stuffed moose or elk hangs on the wall of the Antler Bar, Pentwater, Michigan. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Inside Pentwater’s Antler Bar — A Beer Too Many

jon-barbara-newhall-wedding

Widowed: We Were Two People — And a Marriage

MORE DON'T MISS!

© 2009–2025 Barbara Falconer Newhall All rights reserved. · Log in