The Oakland Tribune is dead. But dozens of Trib staffers live on. On the California paper’s last day, they gathered for a wake. Read more.
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 Purple Rain Garden: Is the Universe Trying to Tell Me Something?
Lots of rain and lots of purple in our garden this year. Purple nemesia, purple iris, purple pansies. What gives? Is this a Purple Rain message from the spirit world? Read more.
East Bay Heritage Quilters — Quilts, Dazzling Quilts
Quilts and quilters were everywhere at the East Bay Heritage Quilters 2016 show Voices in Cloth in Richmond, California, last month. Read more.
Yippee, an IPPY — “Wrestling with God” Wins the Gold
Great news! “Wrestling with God” has won a gold medal IPPY in the annual Independent Publisher Book Awards. The category is Religion, Eastern-Western. Read more.
Donald Trump Outs the Elephant in the Pro-Life Room
By Barbara Falconer Newhall Donald Trump has stepped in it again. And this time the manure comes from the elephant in the room — the pro-life room. I’m hoping against hope that Donald Trump — pro-life, pro-choice or whatever he turns out to be — never
What a Tulip Can Do — If You Ask It
Floral designers showed off what a tulip can do — if you ask it nicely — at the Annual Tulip Exhibition at Mountain View Cemetery, Oakland, California. Read more.
Our Sin — Or God’s? My Gino Geraci Talk Revisited
To my mind, given our evolutionary origins, there can be no original sin. God’s sin, maybe — but not human sin, not inherent human depravity. Read more.