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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 Did It! I Voted! And You Did Too (Or Soon Will). Sheltering at Home Week 34

November 3, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

barbara-falconer-newhall-voted-202

I voted, and I’m pretty sure you did, too — or you will have by the time the day is out. You and I and tens of millions of other Americans. Read more.

Our New Patio — We’ve Added a Another Room to Our House. Sheltering at Home Week 33

October 31, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

connecticut-blue-stone-patio our-new-patio

We thought we were just replacing some sandstone in our front yard. Little did we know, our new patio added a whole new room to our house. Read more.

Unplanned Pregnancy? I Wasn’t as Alone as I Thought

October 24, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

unplanned-pregnancy

It was the late 1960s, and I was a single woman living on my own in New York City facing the possibility of an unplanned pregnancy.  Read more.

Unmarried and (Probably) Pregnant in Mid-Century America

October 14, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

unmarried-and-pregnant? Barbara-Falconer-1960s

Unmarried and pregnant in the 1960s — I was too ashamed to tell anyone then. But I’m telling the story now. Here’s why.  Read more.

I Miss My Grown-Up Children — More Than I Can Say. Sheltering at Home Week 30

October 10, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

I-miss-my-grown-up-children

I last put my arms around Peter in January. He was here for his birthday, I haven’t seen him — or his sister — since. Read more.

He’s Not Bald After All. Thank You, Covid-19. Sheltering at Home Week 28

September 26, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

jon-newhall-Zodiac-News-Service

Thanks to the coronavirus, my husband hasn’t had a haircut in six months. It turns out he’s not bald after all. He’s got hair, lots of it.  Read more.

A Book of Essays From Cartoonist Cathy Guisewite — Did She Write It or Did I? Sheltering at Home Week 26

September 12, 2020 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Cathy-Guisewite-cover-subtitle

Cathy Guisewite’s thoughts about life in “Fifty Things That Aren’t My Fault” look a lot like the thoughts running around in my own brain. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Autumn in the Garden, When Sensible Plants Pack It In for the Winter . . . And a Healing Ankle

Autumn in the garden where, like it or not, the seasons impose their wills on every living thing. Photo by Barbara Newhall

It was autumn in the garden and all the grim stuff that happens as winter sets in — death, rot, shrivel and retreat — made for a thing of beauty. 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!

Barbara Falconer Newhall wearing her vintage Austrian Walkjanker wool jacket from Salzburg. Photo by Jon Newhall

Real Snow in Minnesota . . . and Real Warm in My Real Austrian Walkjanker

JON-NEWHALLS-OFFICE

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

pretty-new-clothes

My Pretty New Clothes — Shall I Just Wear Them Around the House? Sheltering at Home Week 10

window-with-houseplants

Maybe I Want a Facelift After All

MORE DON'T MISS!

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