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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."

It’s My Birthday and I’m Really Old. Dang! Sheltering at Home Week 26

September 7, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

it's my birthday and I'm really old chocolate-birthday-cake-just-desserts

Today’s my birthday, another year has blown past, and I can’t help noticing that I’m really old, and I’m going to die sooner than I’d like. Read more.

Watching People Working With Their Hands — Why Am I So Fascinated? Sheltering in Place Week 25

September 3, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

concrete-being-poured working with their hands

In Bologna they call them umarells, men hanging around building sites, watching people working with their hands. I’m an umarell. Here’s why. Read more.

Hanging Pictures: Too Much Art. Not Enough Wall Space. Sheltering at Home Week 24

August 27, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

hanging pictures how-to-hang-pictures

Hanging pictures: we spent an entire Sunday on the project, pulling everything out of storage and propping it up all over the house. Read more.

Quarantine Hair: I’ve Got Curls All Over My Head. How Did That Happen? Sheltering at Home Week 22

August 15, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

I've-got-curls Barbara-falconer-newhall-with-fluffy-hair-2

Out of the blue, my hair has begun sprouting Shirley Temple ringlets. I’ve got curls, adorable curls. What the heck? I didn’t know my hair could curl.  Read more.

We’re Putting Our Shabby Old Patio Out of Its Misery — At Last. Sheltering at Home Week 22

August 11, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

shabby-old-patio

Our shabby old patio was a mess when we first laid eyes on it forty-two years ago. Today, it’s still not a pretty sight. Time for a redo.  Read more.

Why Do ‘Those People’ Make Me So Mad? A Philosopher Sheds Some Light. Sheltering at Home Week 20

July 29, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Stars and Stripes. In a message to those people, a man hangs the American flag on the front of his house. Photo by Barbara Newhall

When we address “those people,” do we really want to be heard? Or do we just want to get mad, feel righteous and force our desired outcomes on those “other” people? Read more.

World Hunger — Is It Up to Me to Fix It? Sheltering at Home Week 20

July 27, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

world hunger and food-abundance

The bare dirt spot in my garden is taking up more real estate in my brain than world hunger, homelessness and disruption. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Small Boys: Reading, Writing — And Yucky

A 7-year-old boy makes a yucky  face by stretching his mouth wide. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Let’s face it. Kids, some kids, naturally love raunchy jokes and faces. There’s one living at my house who loves everything yucky. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • 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!

Windmills outlined against the sky of Mason county, Michigan, farmland. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Change Happens. It Just Does

Hauling-branches

An Urban Oasis: Keeping It Wild — And Fire Resistant

violet pansy blossom with green edges. Purple Rain. Photo by Barbara Newhall

My Purple Rain Garden: Is the Universe Trying to Tell Me Something?

framed-photo-of-a-cook

I Said Hello to My Deceased Husband — Finally

MORE DON'T MISS!

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