• 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."

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.

My Husband Was Bald — And Then He Wasn’t

May 31, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

jon-newhall-1968

With the covid shutdown, Jon stopped going to the hairdresser. Soon he wasn’t as bald as we thought he was.  Read more.

My Days Are Numbered — And So Are My Minutes

May 24, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

clock-12:01

My days are numbered, so I’ve decided to be miserly about how I spend what’s left of them.  Read more.

I Was Young and Single for Way Too Long — Why?

May 17, 2025 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

I-was-young-and-single-for-way-too-long-why? have-him-at-hello-sticker-greenwald

I was young and single for way too long. Why? Could a book I spotted at an airport bookstore finally give me some answers?  Read more.

  • « Go to Previous Page
  • Page 1
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Page 3
  • Page 4
  • Page 5
  • Page 6
  • Page 7
  • 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

Shanghai Chic – Where a Woman’s Style Starts With Her Shoes

Canvas espadrille shoes decorated with stars and stripes in red, white and blue on the streets of Shanghai. Photo by BF Newhall

 

I thought I was traveling to China to explore the mysteries of China’s storied past — the big dynasties with their poetic one-syllable names: Ming, Tang, Han. But what really caught my attention was China’s storied present: The skyscrapers. The ubiquitous one-child families. The traffic jams. The fashionistas . . . 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!

Facade of the National Cathedral, Washington, DC. Photo by BF Newhall

The Rise of the “Nones” – Young Americans Are Doing Without Church

light-from-window

I’m Thankful for a Window. It’s Small, but It Opens Onto . . . Everything

jon Newhall works the Sunday NYT crossword puzzle in the SF Chronicle. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Happily Retired? Take the Quiz

Loreen Niewenhuis trekking across sand beach. Niewenhuis photo.

Walk 1000 Miles Around Lake Michigan? She Did It — Now I Don’t Have To

MORE DON'T MISS!

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