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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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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."

Yea! A Book Contract for “Wrestling with God”

July 25, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 30 Comments

Writer Barbara Falconer Newhall in her writing room holding a copy of her book contract with Bondfire Books. Photo by Jon Newhall

Good news. I’ve signed a contract with a publisher for my book "Wrestling With God." The publisher is Bondfire Books in partnership with Patheos.com.

Wanted: An Evening Handbag That’s Pretty — And Big Enough to Do the Job

July 18, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 8 Comments

A small silver evening bag at Nordstrom with ruching and a chain sells for $268. Photo by BF Newhall

There’s no such thing as a presentable evening bag that can hold what a woman – a real one – needs to put into her purse these days. Read more.

A Forgotten Gift From My Teenaged Daughter — No Good After December 31

July 13, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 8 Comments

A three-by-five card on which a 12-year-old promises to yard work as a gift to her mother. Photo by BF Newhall

Look what reorganizing my stationery drawers turned up: Coupons from my then 13-year-old daughter Christina promising to do chores around the house — including yard work, for heaven’s sake. Read more.

When the Bride Doesn’t Wear White — And Neither Does Anyone Else

July 11, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

Part of an orange and green sari and a purple sari at an Indian wedding in the San Francisco Bay Area. Photo by BF Newhall

It’s an Indian wedding with all the trimmings — drums, gongs, garlands of flowers, priestly blessings and flocks of women wearing gorgeous saris. I’m a Westerner. What do I wear? Read more.

The Windmills of Mason County — Blight or Art?

July 4, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 18 Comments

A wind turbine in the Lake Winds Energy Project towers above a painted shed in Mason County, Michigan. Photo by BF Newhall

When I heard about the new windmills, I resolved to take a look the next time I was in Michigan. Were they a noisy, ugly, menacing blight on the landscape? Or could they be interesting — attractive even? Read more.

An Episcopalian Says Kaddish for Her Jewish Aunt

June 27, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 12 Comments

Brookside Cemetery in Amber Township, west of Scottville, MI. Headstones in foreground, farmland and busy Highway 10 in background. Photo by BF Newhall

 

My Aunt Grace, who died in January, was Jewish. Most everyone else in her family had remained Christian or had moved on to atheism, secularism or indifference. The question was, how does a bunch of Christians and agnostics say a parting prayer for a Jew? Read more.

At the Sawtooth Building: Earrings for Thirty-Six Bucks . . . And Other Hand-Made Pleasures

June 20, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

A colorful assymetrical art quilt and a quilt with black fleurs du mal against a white background by Donna Duguay of Berkeley, CA. Photo by BF Newhall

 

Susan Brooks was in her studio selling handmade earrings priced in the three-figures category the other day. I was not tempted. I’m tightening my belt these days. Instead . . . Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

My Upper Lip and Other Sorrows

Lucille Ball with red lipstick and hair

I feel bad about my lip. My upper lip. Nora Ephron felt bad about her neck, a body part she made famous back in 2006 with her book I Feel Bad About My Neck. Nora also felt bad about her frizzy grey hair, parched skin, incipient mustache, flabby upper arms, and tendency toward belly fat. She was getting older.

 

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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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!

car-departing-driveway

Kids Leave Home. They Just Do

woman-with-white-air-barbara-falconer-newhall

Now’s Your Chance to Let Your Roots Grow Out. I Did It. Here’s Why — Sheltering at Home Week 4

Oakland artist Hannah Woebkenberg sits in front of a sculpture she made of pantyhose. Photo by BF Newhall

Oakland’s Jingletown: Arts, Crafts, Cool Kitsch — And Cookies

The Abortion Wars: Forcing a Woman to Continue a Pregnancy Is a Form of Assault

MORE DON'T MISS!

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