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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."

When Someone Dies, Send Flowers

May 22, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 15 Comments

tulips-condolences send flowers

My husband is dead. Forget “in lieu of.” I want the flowers.  Read more.

Not Enough Rain. Not Enough Stories About My Husband.

May 8, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 16 Comments

not enough stories about my husband. not enough rain. California-Grapevine-2014-drought

I wish I’d written more stories about my husband. But he was a good guy, and our marriage didn’t generate a lot of bloggable drama.   Read more.

Would My Husband Like to Take My Name?

May 1, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

add my name to his? jon-and-barbara-newhall-get-married

My fiance had no middle name. When we married, I asked, would he like to take my name to fill the empty spot in the middle of his? Read more.

A Hopeful Realist Is Keeping Me Company These Days

April 24, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 15 Comments

hopeful realist contemplates the pinwheel-galaxy-NASA

I like to think of Geoff Machin as a hard-headed realist. A hard-headed — hopeful — realist is just the right company for me these days. Read more.

My Husband Is Gone. But the Tree Trimmers Showed Up as Promised.

April 17, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 12 Comments

tree-trimmer-in-tree

My husband is gone. Does that mean I have to cancel the household projects we planned and dreamed of doing? Read more.

My Husband Died, and Denial and Distraction Are My Go-To States for Now

April 10, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 22 Comments

my-husband-died-so-I-hiked -at-chimney-rock

My husband of 44 years died seven weeks ago. So far, I’ve used denial and distraction to keep my mind off the silence.  Read more.

Widowed: Lucky Me, I Told Jon Newhall I Loved Him

March 13, 2021 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 19 Comments

Jon Newhall makes dinner at the Newhall house. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Lucky me. I told my husband I loved him while he was still alive. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

A Thousand Goddesses–Some Nice, Some Not So Nice–Take Your Pick

Colorful, hand-painted terra cotta statue of the Virgin of Guadalupe, from Mexico. Photo by BF Newhall

I wish I had known Patricia Monaghan. She died a year and a half ago after a rich life as a poet, author, Goddess scholar, and pioneer and mentor in the contemporary women’s spirituality movement. She was an academic, yes, but also a hands-on kind of woman, as concerned with the temperature of her root cellar as the depth of her research. And that research is deep . . . Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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  • A Case of the Human Condition
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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!

Two schoolage kids in a friendly fight. Polaroid phot by Dave Falconer

When Your Kids Don’t Fight — Enough

father-daughter

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

A gray American domestic cat has curled up atop a 1986 TV set being used as a computer monitor in a home office. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Mom With Kids — The Home Office Blues

Author Barbara Falconer Newhall takes a photo of herself wearing dark, statement glasses before cataract surgery to see what she'll look like. Photo by Barbara Newhall

The Cataract Chronicles: I’ll Be Seeing Me

MORE DON'T MISS!

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