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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’m Not Going to Rant About the Election Results. Here’s Why

November 9, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

donald-trump-pointing

I’m not going to rant about the election results. The world doesn’t need another angry argument. I’m going to write about my garden. Or try to.  Read more.

Widowed: Some Thoughts Before Election Day — From Jon

November 2, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 14 Comments

thoughts before election day jon-newhall-with-american-flag

Thoughts before election day: My husband’s 2010 opinion piece on the Pledge of Allegiance assumed a social trust that’s since gone missing in America.  Read more.

When My Mother Was the Grandma

October 19, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

when my mother was the grandma

My mother was the grandma in the family. She deserved respect from our kids. Not because she’d earned it, but because she was the grandma.  Read more.

We’re Not Immortal After All . . . Good to Know

October 5, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

we're not immortal after all heidelberg-castle-on-stein

We’re not immortal after all. When we were twenty, we thought we were, which meant some of us did things like hop a freight train to Los Angeles.  Read more.

I’m 83 and I’m Dumping My Bucket List

September 28, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 10 Comments

dumping out my bucket list the-breakers-newport

Sometime between the pandemic and my husband’s death I began dumping out the contents of my travel bucket list.  Read more.

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

September 21, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

photos that bring my husband back to life huband-now-deceased--waiting-in-airport

Now and then I come across a photo that brings my husband back to life, and for one sweet moment, Jon is there in all his ineffable Jon-ness.  Read more.

Widowed: I’ve Been Writing a Memoir in Essays All This Time

September 14, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

memoir in essays widowed

For three-plus years, I’ve been writing blog posts about being widowed. Do I have the makings of a memoir in essays?  Read more.
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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Out-Takes From a Small Town Police Blotter Reveal a Serious Case of the Human Condition

In California’s Gold Country, the bad news is not too bad, if a recent edition of the Western Nevada County Union’s police blotter is to be believed. 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!

Author Barbara Falconer Newhall with the four calico crazy quilts she designed for the four grandchildren she hopes she'll have. Photo by Jon Newhall

The Baby Quilts Are Ready — Now All We Need Are the Babies

tinted-eyebrows-aging

Tint My Eyebrows? It’s an Existential Question

family-photo-christmas-card

A Widow’s Christmas Card — Where’s Jon When I Need Him Most?

crate-and-barrel-pendant-lights

The Lights Are On. But the Guests Have Yet to Arrive. Sheltering in (Our Brand New) Place. Week 15

MORE DON'T MISS!

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