Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.
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."
Two days after September 11, a friend warned Sumbul Ali-Karamali, a Muslim American, that she should display an American flag outside her house. Ali-Karamali, is author of “The Muslim Next Door: The Qur’an, the Media, and that Veil Thing.” Read more.
Figure flaws? I’m going to wear them proudly — with the help of just the right mother-of-the-bride dress. Here are my final four choices. Read more.
The mother of the bride faces up to the figure flaws she’ll be taking to her daughter’s wedding: wobbly neck, flabby arms, descending bustline . . . and more. Read more.
Peter’s in fourth grade now. My third grade boy is gone. Christina has grown an inch since Easter. My size 6 girl is gone. Read more.
What draws me to author Annie Dillard — what makes me want to turn off the TV and grab one of her books — is her eagle-sharp eye for the world as it truly is. Read more.
I spent a glorious day at the Bouquets to Art 2017 exhibition in San Francisco, where several stunning boxed floral arrangements stole the show. Read more.
When World War II POWs returned home, many couldn’t talk about the brutality they’d seen. Decades later one finally tells his story to the world. Read more.