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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
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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."

The Mother-of-the-Groom Diaries: Snapping Pictures at My Son’s Wedding

June 13, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Handsome groom in tux, vest and tie with pink boutonniere before his wedding. Photo by BF Newhall

 

My trusty point and shoot goes with me everywhere these days. But for my son’s wedding I resolved to Be In The Moment and resist the temptation to digitize every last detail of my son’s big day. Read more.

The Mother-in-Law Diaries: A Groom’s Dinner at a Place Called the Bachelor Farmer

June 11, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

The Afghan Room at Minneapolis' Bachelor Farmer restaurant is covered with colorful afghans. A groom's dinner took place there in May, 2013. Photo by BF Newhall

 

The wedding ceremony was going to be a simple one, so there was no need for an actual rehearsal. But that didn’t mean we couldn’t have ourselves a rehearsal dinner. Read more.

The Mother-of-the-Groom Diaries: The Day Before the Big Day

June 8, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Bearded groom wearing purple necktie and vest with tux at Mens Wearhouse. Photo by BF Newhall

In a little more than twenty-four hours our son Peter would be a married man. But first, he and Jon had to pick up their wedding duds. My outfit was already hanging in the closet. Read more.

The Mother-of-the-Groom Diaries: They Did It. They Got Married

June 6, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

A Minneapolis bride and groom with a young cousin, May, 2013. Photo by BF NewhallThey pulled it off. They got married. They said their vows. They were pronounced husband and wife in Minneapolis on May 25.

I Can’t Take My Eyes Off Those Flowers — From the Mighty Rose to the Humble Daisy

May 23, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Yellow roses by Svenja Brotz of Chestut and Vine Floral Design, Berkeley, CA. Photo by BF Newhall

The fine artist wannabe in me asserts that, as a rule of thumb, flowers are just too nice, too darned pretty to be the subject of Real Art. Real Art needs grit. It needs to be problematic. It needs tension. Something has to be askew. Flowers, on the other hand, never seem troubled to me, or even ruffled. Read more.

At Point Reyes: Wild Flowers . . . and Animals Wild and Tame

May 16, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

Dairy cows returning to the barn cross a public road at Point Reyes, CA. Photo by BF Newhall

A couple of weeks ago, I mourned the loss of little hill in Michigan called Eagle Top. This week I’d like to celebrate a place that — unlike Eagle Top — has been preserved in all its wild and pastoral beauty – the vast triangle of land along the California coast known as Point Reyes, and especially the narrow outcropping called Chimney Rock.

In the Garden: Look What Happened to My Front Yard Over the Weekend

May 9, 2013 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

San Francisco Bay Area rock garden with geranium and blue-eyed grass tucked alongside moss rocks. Photo by BF Newhall

I wasn’t looking. I was at the computer all weekend with my back to the world. When I finally took a bleary look out the window Monday morning, I saw a front yard crazy with life — poppies, blue-eyed grass, armeria, pansies and several lascivious stalks of lupine blossoms. Read more.

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ON THE FUNNY SIDE

When a Grown Daughter Doesn’t Call — Or, How to Overmother a Twenty-Something

Christina Newhall with cell phone. Photo by BF Newhall

Christina hadn’t called. We had dropped her at the airport hours ago. The flight to Burbank takes only seventy minutes. She should be home by now. But Jon and I still hadn’t gotten the, “I’m home. The plane didn’t crash. My roommate remembered to pick me up, and we didn’t get mugged in the garage,” phone call. Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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  • 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!

Actor Christopher Dennis crossing Walk of Fame street in Hollywood. Photo by BF Newhall

Stalking Superman

A valley oak is mostly dead with two fresh limbs growing from a rotten trunk. Photo by BF Newhall

Dead Stuff – Which I Will Be Too One of These Days

obsolete-tech-books

Widowed: My Husband’s Stuff Is Still Here. I’ve Got My Reasons

The Feminine Feminist — An Oxymoron?

MORE DON'T MISS!

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