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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."

I Need a Haircut. Or do I? Sheltering at Home. Week 9

May 17, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 8 Comments

i-need-a-haircut

Nine weeks into the coronavirus shut-down, I’m wondering — do I need a haircut? What would happen if I just let it grow…and grow? Read more.

My Coronavirus Nightmare — I’m in a Crowd of People and I Forgot My Mask. Sheltering at Home Week 9

May 14, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

coronavirus nightmare

My psyche is no slouch. It’s keeping up with current events, and it’s invented a coronavirus nightmare to match the times. Read more.

At 78, I Still Have a Lot of Living to Do — Do the Deciders Care? Sheltering at Home Week 8

May 10, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 8 Comments

a lot of living to do, including write another book

I’m 78 and I still have a lot of living to do. But I’m feeling marginalized by the coronavirus deciders — corporate leaders, power brokers, TV pundits. Read more. 

Hallelujah! Our Porta-Potty Is Back. Construction Work Resumes. Sheltering at Home Week 8

May 9, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

Work on our remodel has been suspended for weeks. So, as construction work resumes, a porta-potty out front is a sight for sore eyes. Read more.

I Let the Maytag Man Into the House. And I Here’s What I Learned About Human Nature. Sheltering at Home Week 7

May 3, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

time to call the Maytag Man

Plumber, handyman, Maytag Man, flood abatement guy. Four service people came into our house this week, bringing help and simple human kindness. Read more.

Post-Coronavirus, What Will Happen to All That Hugging We’ve Been Doing? Sheltering at Home Week 6

April 19, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

hugging fake-hugs-Cordero-Roman

Personally, I like a little time to pass, and an actual friendship to evolve, before I do any serious hugging with somebody. Read more.

I Miss My Friends. But I Miss My Acquaintances More — Sheltering at Home Week 5

April 17, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

I miss my acquaintances. A Zoom exercise class gave me the chance to say hello to some of them.

I miss my acquaintances. I miss the shopkeepers, the women in my Zumba class, the friends of friends, all the people who know me, but don’t know my name. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Tulips and Sex — Writing as If Everyone I Know Were Dead

looking at pink tulips just opening from the underside at Mountain View Cemetery in Oakland, CA. Photo by BF Newhall

I want to write about tulips today. I don’t want to write about sex. The trouble is, for me, writing about tulips means writing about sex: something about their juicy curves brings erotic metaphors to my particular mind. I had thought that once my mother — and father — were no longer alive and reading over my shoulder, I’d be able to write my heart out, but . . . Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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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!

huband-now-deceased--waiting-in-airport

Three Photos That Bring My Husband Back to Life. And One That Doesn’t

KRKS_FM talk show host and Christian pastor Gino Geraci hosts the Crosswalk radio show in Denver. Crosswalk photo.

My Chat With Gino Geraci — Here’s the Link

Dave-McQueen-Zodiac

Dying. It’s What We Do These Days

Jack Shoemaker of Counterpoint Press spoke at the Oct. 5 meeting of Left Coast Writers at Book Passage, Marin. Photo by Barbara Newhall.

Jack Shoemaker of Counterpoint Press Shares Fifty Years of Book Publishing Wisdom

MORE DON'T MISS!

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