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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."

Widowed: He’s Still Not Back and It’s Been Three Years

February 24, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

widowed he's still not back  rain-february-19-bay-area

Where is Jon? I’ve been widowed three years and I’m still expecting him to come back. It’s not possible that he is gone for good, snuffed out.  Read more.

Widowed: The Things My Husband Wanted. (Or, We Are What We Want)

February 17, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

JON-NEWHALL

I feel the sharpest grief when I picture my husband alive and wanting something, planning something — picking out artichokes for dinner, making a grandchild laugh. Read more.

Nature Giveth and Nature Taketh Away

January 27, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

nature giveth. nature taketh away. flowering-tree

Against all odds, a flowering fruit tree took root in the wild canyon below our house, but not for long. Nature giveth, nature taketh away.  Read more.

Widowed: Am I Grieving? Or Am I Just Lonely?

January 13, 2024 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

empty-home-office

Am I grieving, or am I just lonely? When I spotted my husband’s empty office chair, I was overcome by — what? Sorrow? Or simple loneliness?   Read more.

Here Comes Another Year!

December 30, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

Here comes another year. Some of us have accumulated a lot of them. My glamorous Aunt Grace had racked up 98 years by the time she left the planet.  Read more.

Widowed: The Perfect Husband. The Perfect Christmas Tree

December 15, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

widowed-the-perfect-husband-the-perfect-christmas-tree/

Widowed: The perfect husband? The perfect Christmas tree? I started a list of all the things that annoyed me about Jon. But I lost the list.  Read more.

‘Tis the Season to Declutter. Or Is It?

December 9, 2023 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 6 Comments

1960s-peace-flag

‘Tis the season to declutter — to ditch the 1960s peace flag and make room for the garlic roaster and the pickleball paddles. Or is it?  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"

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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!

donald-trump-pointing

I’m Not Going to Rant About the Election Results. Here’s Why

Windmills outlined against the sky of Mason county, Michigan, farmland. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Change Happens. It Just Does

wedding-shower-gifts

Widowed: Advice From Beyond the Grave — Party On!

Image of Jesus Christ from the Hagia Sophia. Photo by Barbara Newhall

I Searched for Jesus, and Here’s What I Found

MORE DON'T MISS!

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