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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

My Ever-Changing Family

Meet my changing, shrinking, growing family. Here you'll find stories of married life, little kids, grown-up kids, the empty nest, cousins and ancestors, aging parents, and the view from the second half of life.

Was That Old Testament God Just Trying to Keep Us in the Game?

June 11, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

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.

At Orinda Books: The Author Talked — And So Did the Audience

May 17, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall Leave a Comment

Author Barbara Falconer Newhall and interviewee Sister Barbara Hazzard gave a book talk at Orinda Books in Orinda, California, May 16, 2015. Photo by Jon Newhall

It was an afternoon of lively interaction between author, audience, and Sister Barbara Hazzard, who read from the story she tells in “Wrestling with God.” Read more.

Telephoning Those Teenage Babysitters — Rejected Again

May 2, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

An ivory colored touch-tone telephone, c.irca 1970s, with coiled cord and handset. A babysitter phone list is next to it. Photo by Barbara Newhall

What did teenage boys and moms in need of a babysitter have in common back in the day? They had to call up teenage girls. Read more.

“Listen to Your Mother” — Moms Across the Country Get the Mic for Mother’s Day

April 25, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 2 Comments

Nancy Davis Kho read from her story published in "Listen to Your Mother" (Putnam) book reading at A Great Good Place for Books bookstore in Oakland, CA, April 24, 2015. Photo by Barbara Newhall

It was a fun night at A Great Good Place for Books when three funny ladies celebrated “Listen to Your Mother” an Erma Bombeck style collection of mom stories. Read more.

What If You Threw a Book Launch — And Everybody Came?

April 23, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 5 Comments

A room full of empty chairs at Book Passage bookstore, California, awaits Barbara Falconer Newhall's book launch for "Wrestling with God." Photo by Jon Newhall

Was anyone going to show up? My author event Book Passage  would start soon, and there were dozens of very empty chairs, waiting to be filled. Read more.

The Best Things in Life . . . Have Been There Since High School

April 16, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 4 Comments

Cindy Weyant plays chess at the National Open in Las Vegas in 2010. Photo by Barbara Newhall

 My niece had died. My mind scrambled for a way to face this loss. It found comfort in a surprisingly simple place: a visit from a high school friend. Read more.

A Crazy-Making Crazy Quilt — Finished at Last

February 12, 2015 By Barbara Falconer Newhall 8 Comments

Sue Mary Fox quilting stitches a crazy quilt -- quilt top, batting and backing -- with her long arm sewing machine in her Berkeley, CA, studio. Photo by Barbara Newhall

In desperation I took the crazy-making crazy quilt that I’d begun–but never finished–over to Sue Mary Fox’s quilting studio in Berkeley. Read more.

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

At the Breast Cancer Center — Where Everyone Is Super Nice to You

Image of a breast cancer cell courtesy the National Cancer Institute.

A smiling receptionist greets you as you enter the lobby of the Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center in San Francisco’s East Bay. She directs you to the registration desk, where there’s no wait. A nice woman with pretty eyebrows is ready to help. Everyone here is nice, really nice. 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!

A gold, silver and black evening bag with chevron design at Macy's for $58. Photo by BF Newhall

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

facade of santuario de atotonilco, mexico. photo by bf newhall

Atotonilco, Mexico — High Art, Folk Art, Hot Springs, Food!

Little girl with broken arm & chicken pox marks. Photo by BF Newhall

Help! My Kids Aren’t Perfect After All

A page from the Bleichrode prayer book published in Berlin, 1923, showing the first lines of the Mourner's Kaddish in Hebrew script. Photos by BF Newhall

An Episcopalian Says Kaddish for Her Jewish Aunt

MORE DON'T MISS!

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