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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
  • 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."

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

July 2, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Case of the Human Condition: Four-Year-Old Girls — The Last Bastion of Pretty

four pretty preschool girls in tutus at the ballet barre. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Pink dresses. Powder blue dresses. Dresses with nosegays, kitty cats and sunbursts. Are little girls the last hold-outs for pretty these days? Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

CATEGORIES

  • A Case of the Human Condition
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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!

presidio-cemetery-golden-gate

The Older You Get, the More Dead People You Know

A grey-green Tudor bungalow in Minneapolis. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Tudor Bungalows in the Twin Cities—Little Houses With a Big Sense of Humor

A green freeway sign on California's Interstate 5 South indicating Los Angeles. Photo by BF Newhall

Los Angeles — The Good, the Bad and the Truly Ugly

book jacket "Love Times Three" Darger family

Book Openers: Is Polygamy Normal?

MORE DON'T MISS!

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