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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
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  • 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."

Cheap Thrills at the Glasmuseum Passau — Outrageous, Over-the-Top Decorative Glass.

July 2, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 3 Comments

Decorative glass circa 1835-1845. Bohemia. Round plate with amber Painted glass with chinoiserie motifs. glasmuseum passau. photo by barbara newhall

Spotted at the labyrinthine Glasmuseum Passau — wonderfully outrageous, phantasmagoric decorative glass. Gotta share it with you. Take a look. Cheap thrills. Read more.

I’m a Studs Terkel Wannabe — He Captured American Voices

June 25, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

Author Studs Terkel with books in background.

It was Studs Terkel’s oral histories that inspired me to record the voices of Americans talking about God. Read more.

Retired Is a State of Mind — Six Ways to Know If You’re There Yet

June 18, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

A trail alongside Bon Tempe Lake in Marin county, California. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Retired is a state of mind. Not a state of paycheck or work schedule or commute or how much time you spend at the office. Read more.

Was That Old Testament God Just Trying to Keep Us in the Game?

June 11, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

Monopoly game board.. As played by that Old testament God?

The fiery, judgmental God of the Old Testament and Hebrew Scripture had a redeeming quality that he shared with my persistent little son Peter. Read more.

Two California Poets: One Romantic, the Other Not So Much

June 4, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

writers. cover of book of poetry by Rebecca Foust, "Paradise Drive," 2015.

Ina Coolbrith palled around San Francisco with Mark Twain, Jack London and Bret Harte. Rebecca Foust hangs out with PTA moms. Both are California poets. Read more.

Jeff Greenwald and Kevin Griffin — A Funny Buddhist and a Happy One

May 28, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

Buddhist author Jeff Greenwald. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Jeff Greenwald is a master of the upstart art of finding God funny. Kevin Griffin writes about the commonalities between Buddhism and 12-step programs. Read more.

Confessions of a So-So Wife: The Night I Forgot to Make Dinner

May 21, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

Jon Newhall at the kitchen counter preparing salmon to bake for his wife's birthday. Photo by Barbara Newhall

It would be the dinner of my dreams, the married life I’d imagined as a girl back in Detroit. The table would be set, the chicken roasted to a golden brown. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

I Brake for Floor Plans — I Like to See How Those Other People Live

Floor plan of condo on East 86 Street, Manhattan, with three bedrooms and 3.5 baths.

It’s Sunday morning. I pull the New York Times Magazine from the fat stack of newspapers on the breakfast table, fully intending to read the informative, thought-provoking articles inside. But I get no farther than page two, because that’s where the real estate ads are – the ones with the floor plans. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

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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!

jon-and-Barbara-Newhall

I Miss My Friends. But I Miss My Acquaintances More — Sheltering at Home Week 5

Author Barbara Falconer Newhall opens her copy of Publishers Weekly magazine, which had just arrived in the mail, to find that her book, Wrestling with God, got a starred review in the January 21, 2015, issue. Photo by Jon Newhall

“Wrestling with God” Got a Starred Review From Publishers Weekly — And I’m Doing the Happy Dance

1986 home office with computer monitors, toddler and sleeping cat. Photo by BF Newhall.

‘Read Me a Story, Mommy, But Not That One You Wrote’ (Or,The Nicest Thing My Husband Ever Said to Me)

My computer monitor in action. Photo by Bf Newhall

The Writing Room: My Book’s Almost Done, Sorta

MORE DON'T MISS!

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