• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • HOME
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG
  • WRESTLING WITH GOD BOOK
  • CONTACT

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."

My Pal the Recycling Bin

July 26, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

recycling-can

For years, my pal the recycling bin had been there for me and my empty olive jars and soda cans — until one day I let it be tossed into a collection truck with the other recyclables.  Read more.

I Write. Therefore, I Procrastinate. Why?

July 18, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

i-write-therefore-i-procrastinate-why barbara-falconer-newhall-at-a-writing-retreat

I write. Therefore, I procrastinate. Why? Could the thing I have in mind to write be too big, too gleaming, too unattainable?  Read more.

The Fine Art of Writerly Procrastination

July 12, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

barbara-falconer-newhall-columnist-oakland-tribune

Without an editor to set a deadline for me, the days pass merrily along as I practice the fine art of writerly procrastination.  Read more.

Older, but Wiser? Or, When Life Gives You Lemons, Freeze Them

July 5, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

older-but-wiser-or-when-life-gives-you-lemons-freeze-them

Older, but wiser? Maybe. We elders can’t give you wisdom, but we can give you some tips, like when life gives you lemons, freeze them.  Read more.

I Like My Past. It’s a Keeper

June 28, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

i like my past it's a keeper little-boys-drawing-of-home

We are instructed by the wise ones among us to live in the present. But I like my past. It’s a keeper and I like visiting it from time to time.  Read more.

I’m Opting for a No-Bathtub House. Here’s Why

June 14, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

no-bathtub-house tubz-tub-showroom

It was time to get real. I was 83 years old. Could my creaky knees get me into a bathtub? Could they get me out? I’m going to like my new, no-bathtub house.  Read more.

Too Many Angry Diatribes. Not Enough Tact. Why?

June 7, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Too any angry diatribes. Not enough tact. Why? please-slow-down-sign

On the air and in cyberspace: too many angry diatribes, not enough tact. Do we — you and I — really want to tone things down?  Read more.

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Page 2
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 85
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

GET MY Riffs on Life BY EMAIL

True stories often told through a humorous lens–because you just can't make them up!

We respect your privacy and do not share your email with anyone.

 

LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Photo Ops: China’s One-Child Families — They’re for Real (For Now)

A mother in Shanghai China wipes the face of her schoolage boy in a crowded bazaar in Old Town. Photo by BF Newhall

China’s one-child families may soon be a thing of the past. But for now, they are very real. Jon and I saw them everywhere during our trip to China in September — and I took lots of pictures of mothers, fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers doting on that one child. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • A Case of the Human Condition
  • My Ever-Changing Family
  • On Writing & Reading
  • My Rocky Spiritual Journey

 
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!

Slashing government regulations. A crime? The scene of the Oakland Ghost Ship fire that killed 36 cordoned off as a "crime scene." Photo by Barbara Newhall

Gun Safety — I’m Giving Up on the Cause. Here’s Why

laptop-shut-down

My Deceased Husband’s Laptop — I Fixed It Myself!

A greeting card with embossed and stamped poppies, blank inside by Emeryville, CA, printer Paula Skene Designs. Photo by BF Newhall

At the Hallmark Store — Teary-Eyed in the Sympathy Card Section

Hand painted clay creche with Joseph, Mary, Jesus & Star of Bethlehem, Mexican folk art. Photo by BF Newhall

Christmas in Mexico — It’s All About the Baby Jesus

MORE DON'T MISS!

© 2009–2026 Barbara Falconer Newhall All rights reserved. · Log in