Hi!  Welcome to the Backyard Fence.  Remember old neighborhoods, where people would congregate over the fence, talk about life, share a few laughs? I'd love to make this a stopping point for anyone who wants to share....anything!  I love to...

Cell Phones. How did we ever live without them? Isn’t it amazing how quickly they’ve become part of our lives?  It just doesn’t feel right to leave the house without one. Like a wristwatch, we instinctively reach for it as part...

This past weekend my wife and I traveled to the Trump International Sonesta Beach Resort to witness the wedding of one of my closest friend’s daughter. Robyn and Chip were to be married in what was the most beautiful wedding we’d ever had the...

It's hard to tear me away from the television on Sundays … football, you know … but this past weekend, I went to a unique event called BarCamp Orlando. It was billed as a get-together for techies, a chance for people to get together to share ideas,...

This week's "Reality Bytes: A Message that Resonates" video is Perfect!   To paraphrase your video "blurb":   Every caregiver out there knows it's not easy. But I didn't even know about the Community Education & Resource Affiliation of...

Follow your bliss! At age 61, I never thought I’d be living these famous words by Joseph Campbell. But when I realize that I’m doing the work I love from my home in the hills above a beautiful lake in New Hampshire, and that I’m sharing my life...

My mother-in-law has Alzheimer’s.  Alzheimer's is a disease that destroys brain cells, causing problems with memory, thinking and behavior severe enough to affect work, lifelong hobbies or social life. Alzheimer’s...

Over the course of any marriage, your spouse does or says things that make you think “How could he do this to me?” or “If he really loved me, he wouldn’t have said that” or “This is so hurtful, I can’t...

LEARNING LATER, LIVING GREATER: The Secret for Making the Most of Your After-50 Years. Lifelong Learning in Your Later Years… a Health Club for Your Body, Mind and Spirit! Welcome! My name is Nancy Merz Nordstrom and this blog is all about...

    I have had good storytellers, great conversationalists and naturally funny people tell me that they could never be a writer.  “And, why is that?” I ask.   “I'm not good enough,” is the usual...

RADICAL RIGHTSIZING FOR TOYS Now here’s a novel idea: don’t give potentially dangerous toys for Christmas. "Why I'd NEVER do that!" you say? Since some 80-90% of all toys come from China—this isn't going to be as easy as you think....

It's that wonderful time of year and I thought I'd share a few Eggnog recipes. Not the healthiest, however nothing wrong in moderation. Eggnog It's a rich, indulgent favorite, and Christmas wouldn't be the same without it. Some eggnog recipes...

No one's happier about America's weight problem than the $50-billion-a-year diet industry. That's why I've decided to write a diet book. I've done a little research and it should be pretty easy. After all, it doesn't have to work. 95% of all diets...

After 80 days and 8,000 miles Glenn Fenster can rest. Growing bolder with every mile, the ride was far from easy. There were times he wondered if he would survive. He had to fight just to continue. The same kind of fight his son faces every single...

If you're happy and you know it, clap your hands. Apparently, there's not a lot of hand clapping going on. Have you been in a bookstore lately? The happiness industry is smiling from ear to ear. There's Stumbling on Happiness, The Secrets of Happiness, In...

On this week's Growing Bolder Radio Show, Marc and Bill interviewed the great-great-granddaughter of etiquette queen Emily Post. Anna Post is pretty hip and has a great new book about wedding etiquette. She's about 18 months too late for my own nuptials...

CAUTION: GB MEMBER VIDEO AHEAD...KEEP READING ! ! ! What do you get when you mix the following elements: An “amazing” sense of adventure, a 13 page application form, a video camera and my sister, whom I’ve known for 36 years? It’s quite...