Camp Codger

The things we love about getting old include senior discounts, social security checks, grandkids, taking walks, and afternoon naps.

A couple of weeks ago, we did a Camp Codger podcast episode about what we don't like about getting old. It was our chance to rant a little about the aches and pains of getting older. Literally. Sometimes you just gotta complain to get it out of your system.

But being crabby about aging shouldn't be your full time job. Being grumpy all the time doesn't make for a happy life-- or a happy retirement. So on this show, we talked about the things we love about getting old.

We began the episode with a few things we can all agree that we love about getting old. Senior discounts! (How can you not love paying less for something just because you've got a little gray hair?") Social security checks! (The government deposits money into your bank account every month!)

Randy brought up one of the best things about getting old: Freedom from the Weekend! When you're retired, you no longer have to wait until the weekend to go out to dinner or go to a movie. In fact, your "weekend" can be Tuesday and Wednesday, when stores and other venues are free of crowds. "Every day is a weekend when you are older and retired!" said Gary, in total agreement.

Having no work worries is another great thing about being older. Your "To-Do" list gets a lot shorter, and sometimes your To-Do list includes things like "Take a Ride on the E-bike." Imagine a To-do list of nothing but fun things! If that's not a benefit of growing older, we don't know what is.

Once the Camp Codger counselors got started, we found so many things we love about getting old. How about eating breakfast on the front porch-- just like people used to do in the olden days. Why not? Who says you have to eat every meal indoors? Act like an old person and eat breakfast on the front porch and wave to the neighbors as they pass by!

Richard admitted he loves to exercise whenever he wants to. He also loves reading a book whenever he wants to. Do anything you want whenever you want to! You have the time to play and do fun things anytime during the day. You have lots of free time. So, give yourself permission to do something fun whenever the mood strikes you.

Have you seen the Camp Codger channel on YouTube? We post all of our podcast episodes, so you can listen to Camp Codger via YouTube when that's more convenient. We also post fun videos about all kinds of topics related to getting older.

Our recent Jimmy Buffett Tribute episode has been extremely popular on YouTube. And the short video that Randy shot at Jimmy Buffett's last stadium concert (in San Diego on May 6, 2023) is the most popular video on the Camp Codger YouTube channel-- by far! It seems that everyone still loves Jimmy Buffett.

So, please visit the Camp Codger channel on YouTube and click on the subscribe button. You will be notified whenever we post a new video. And make sure you see the "Old Randy Gives Advice to Young Randy" short video. It's a hoot!

Would you like to know when the co-hosts of Camp Codger get together to talk about a new topic? Subscribe to our weekly Camp Codger newsletter to receive an email notification each time we publish a new episode. You can also subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast app. And, if you enjoyed this episode about Things We Love About Getting Old, please click the Share button below, and Like Camp Codger on our Facebook Page. Finally, have some feedback for the codgers? Leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected].

A Jimmy Buffett Tribute to His Songs, Music, Parrotheads, and Margaritaville Charm.

Jimmy Buffett was a singer, songwriter, and a much-loved entertainer. His stadium concerts, filled with his adoring fans called parrotheads, became massive tailgating parties where fans celebrated Jimmy's beach bum attitude.

For the first time on the Camp Codger podcast, co-hosts Randy Schultz, Gary Ebersole, and Richard Kipling, devote an entire episode of the show to a popular codger whose life has made a lasting impact. This Jimmy Buffett tribute is a look at the life, charm, success, and endearing affect that Jimmy Buffett had on the baby boomer generation.

James William Buffett was born on Christmas Day 1946, making him one of the oldest baby boomers. He died at his home in Sag Habor, New York, on September 1, 2023 at the age of 76. Ask any of his millions of adoring fans, and they would say Jimmy Buffett died way too soon.

Mr. Buffett was not an overnight success. He was a little-known singer songwriter for many years. His first album, released on a small record label in 1970, sold only 324 copies. But many of his early compositions were heartfelt songs that revealed Buffett's talent for story telling. He wrote ballads that Bob Dylan praised, calling Buffett one of his favorite songwriters.

In 1974, Jimmy Buffett got his first success on popular radio with Come Monday. It wasn't a massive radio hit; it peaked at #30 on the Billboard charts. But it gave Buffett his first taste of success. Jimmy Buffett later said that Come Monday changed his life, and it gave him the confidence to keep singing and keep writing.

Three years later, a song about a man who has wasted an entire summer in a beach town changed his life forever.

In the summer of 1977, Jimmy Buffett's song called Margaritaville became a huge radio hit and made Jimmy Buffett famous. Let's face it, Margaritaville is a delightful earworm that's fun to sing. It quickly became an anthem for the "beach bum lifestyle," and it made Jimmy Buffett the patron saint of Hawaiian shirts, shorts, flip flops, and partying at the beach.

Sadly, Margaritaville was Jimmy Buffett's only Top 10 single. But over the years, Jimmy Buffett added plenty of other fun songs to his playlist-- including Fins, Cheeseburger in Paradise, Volcano, and many more. His concerts became massive parties that filled large stadiums. His avid fans in flamboyant party costumes were dubbed "parrotheads" by Timothy B. Schmidt, the former bass player for the Eagles who had joined Jimmy's Coral Reefer Band in the 1980s.

By that time, Jimmy Buffett the businessman was turning Margaritaville into an endearing the symbol of the Buffett lifestyle brand that grew to include restaurants, hotels, merchandise, and much more. Let's just say that Jimmy Buffett, that man with the killer smile and beach bum persona, died a very, very rich man.

The outpouring of love and support for Jimmy Buffett immediately after his death shows that his legacy will continue. Listen to the Jimmy Buffett Tribute episode of the Camp Codger podcast to learn more about Mr. Margaritaville and his legacy.

No matter what, Jimmy will continue to live in our hearts, and his music will still be the soundtrack of our summers.

Would you like to know when the co-hosts of Camp Codger get together to talk about a new topic? Subscribe to our weekly Camp Codger newsletter to receive an email notification each time we publish a new episode. You can also subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast app.

If you enjoy this Jimmy Buffet Tribute episode, please click the Share button below and Like Camp Codger on our Facebook Page. Finally, have some feedback for the old codgers? Leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected].

Yes, there are some things we hate about getting old.

A wise person once said, "getting old isn't for sissies." It's true that there are things we hate about getting old. (And there are also things we love. But that's the topic for a future episode of the Camp Codger podcast.)

This week, we take a look at the downside of getting older. But, as we often do, we find a lot of humor in our aging. Sometimes we have to laugh at ourselves and admit that there is plenty of laughter in our little rants about the things we hate about getting old.

Gary gets things started with his "I hate rap music" rant. Yes, all three of the hosts of Camp Codger (Gary, Richard, and Randy) admit that the "finer points" of rap music totally escape them. There's no melody. Everyone seems so angry. It all sounds the same.

Perhaps we were too old when rap music arrived on the scene. We were already big fans of what is now called Classic Rock, and we weren't about to embrace the new music of the younger folks. But still. Is rap music really music? And why is it so popular? Gary just doesn't like it. And neither do Richard and Randy.

Randy opened this show with a look back at Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech from 60 years ago. That triggered Richard's comments about how younger people don't know about many of the major events of the late 20th Century. "It's vexing to think that events that were so big to you are not even on the radar of so many younger people."

Amen, Richard.

Randy picked a much smaller thing to be peeved about: reading glasses. "I've been reading for my entire life, and now I can't even read a text on my iPhone without putting on a pair of reading glasses!"

All three of the co-hosts could relate to this lament. Randy admits to having pairs of reading glasses stashed in virtually every room of his house. Gary revealed that he resorted to wearing his reading glasses on a chain around his neck. Yes, he looks like an old librarian from 50 years ago.

We were going to call this episode 10 Things We Have About Getting Old. But then we came up with more than 10 things.

So, yes. There really is a lot to talk about when the topic is things you don't like about getting older.

Listen to this episode to find out what the codgers have to say about getting old. Just click on the "Play Episode" triangle above. And after you've heard the episode, please leave a comment about the things you really hate about getting old.

Would you like to know when the co-hosts of Camp Codger get together to talk about a new topic? Subscribe to our weekly Camp Codger newsletter to receive an email notification each time we publish a new episode.

You can also subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast app. And, if you enjoyed this episode about Things We Hate About Getting Old, please click the Share button below. Plus, Like Camp Codger on our Facebook Page.

Finally, you might have some feedback for the old codgers. If so, leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected].

Learn how to declutter your home with Julie Coraccio, a professional organizer.

It seems like we all have too much stuff. After decades of collecting more and more possessions, the typical house has a garage packed with possessions, closets overflowing with clothes, and tabletops covered with an assortment of stuff. If you are like most folks we know, you have more things than you need.

This week, Randy Schultz, Richard Kipling, and Gary Ebersole interview Julie Corraccio and come away loaded with tips and techniques to clean up their chaos and organize their homes. As they learned, clutter can be a problem for many people, but it can often represent a significant challenge for senior citizens who may have spent decades collecting stuff.

For years, Julie has worked as a professional organizer as well as teaching people how to clear clutter. Author of 15 books and host of the podcast Clear Your Clutter Inside and Out, she is passionate about supporting people in creating the life they choose, deserve, and desire. A special interest for her is teaching her clients eco-friendly cleaning and organizing practices.

One of the biggest challenges to declutter your home is the feeling that the task is so large, it seems overwhelming. Julie Coraccio offers several tips on breaking the project into smaller, more manageable pieces.

According to Julie, one of the keys is to get started on a small part of the job of decluttering. A collection of small tasks that can be completed in a few hours each is often better for most people than undertaking a huge, multi-day project. However, as she reminds us, we all have different styles. Julie suggests picking an approach that is best suited to you. (Listen to this episode for all of her tips!.)

An important phase of any decluttering project is understanding how the clutter came to be. A favorite phrase Julie uses is "clutter kryptonite", which describes our personal habits for buying things. The less we buy, the lower the opportunity to create clutter.

But we all have our own bits of clutter kryptonite. Julie confesses that she has a weakness for leopard print clothing and fabric. So, she has developed practices to ward off the urge to buy more leopard print clothing!

How can you learn to declutter your home with Julie Coraccio in your golden years? Listen to the interview with Julie to find out. Just click on the "Play Episode" triangle above.

Would you like to know when the co-hosts of Camp Codger get together to talk about a new topic? Subscribe to our weekly Camp Codger newsletter! We will send you an email notification each time we publish a new episode.

You can also subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast app. And, if you enjoyed this episode about how to declutter your home with Julie Coraccio, please click the Share button below and Like Camp Codger on our Facebook Page. Finally, have some feedback for the old codgers? Leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected].

Remember Y2K and the year 2000? It wasn't that long ago. But you might have forgotten exactly what happed in the news that year.

The co-hosts of Camp Codger, the podcast for people in their golden years, recently got together to talk about Y2K the year 2000. The big news stories, the popular movies, the events that impacted us, and even the prices of things we buy.

Even though it has been less than two and a half decades since the year 2000, there were many things about that year that we've conveniently forgotten about.

One of the biggest memories of 2000 was the way the year began. The leap from the 20th century to the 21st century was a big deal all by itself. Flipping the calendar page from 1999 to 2000 seemed monumentally important. Surely, we were all entering the Jetsons era, with robots and flying cars just around the corner.

Then there was the Y2K bug. On the Y2K the Year 2000 episode of Camp Codger, the fearless co-hosts (Gary, Richard, and Randy) do a great job of explaining what the Y2K bug was, and why computer geeks were all paranoid about it. (Listen to the episode for a full explanation.) But the short version is this: when the year switched from 1999 to 2000, all hell was going to break loose. Computers everywhere in the world were going to shut down. Modern life as we knew it was going to be disrupted in all kinds of horrible ways.

But then the end of the world didn't happen. And we all rejoiced by watching cable TV and eating SpongeBob SquarePants popsicles.

The year ended with the biggest news story of Y2K the Year 2000. The presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore was the closest in American history. How close was it? It was so close that Florida had to recount all the votes cast in the state. And the Supreme Court got involved. We didn't know who won the election for over a month. There was lots of talk about "hanging chads."

Fortunately, panic did not ensue. Mr. Bush and Mr. Gore acted like responsible men. Neither of them called the other a liar, a loser, or stupid. They behaved with the decorum that Americans had come to expect from Presidential candidates. When George W. Bush was declared the winner, Mr. Gore accepted the results. No further drama ensued.

When it came to popular culture, there was a lot going on in the year 2000. A rapper named Eminem and a band called the Beatles battled on the charts for the most popular album (CD?) of the year. On TV, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire was a primetime hit.

Montgomery Ward, the old-school retailer in business since 1872, announced that it would be closing its retail stores. And so much more happened in Y2K the Year 2000. Listen to this episode of the Camp Codger podcast to hear all about it.

Would you like to know when the co-hosts of Camp Codger get together to talk about a new topic? Subscribe to our weekly Camp Codger newsletter to receive an email notification each time we publish a new episode. You can also subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast app. And, if you enjoyed this episode about Y2K the Year 2000, please click the Share button below and Like Camp Codger on our Facebook Page. Finally, have some feedback for the old codgers? Leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected].

Are the best places to travel old or new? That's a question many of us ask when we are choosing a vacation spot.

Richard Kipling, a co-host of the Camp Codger podcast for people in their golden years, admits that he has this debate with himself every year. Should he find a wonderful new place for a vacation? Or should he return to a favorite place where he has already visited?

"We have all had vacation trips that didn't work out, and for sure we're not going back there," said Kipling. "But what about those places where you had a wonderful experience? Great food, unforgettable sights, beautiful walks, amazing hikes. Places where you met friendly people that became your friends. What if you went back to one of those places?"

There are so many places to travel. So many great vacation destinations. So many things to see and places to go. That's why selecting the best places to travel, old or new, is such a personal decision.

"Sometimes it's great to return to a place you've already visited because it is familiar," said Randy Schultz, another Camp Codger co-host. "There's something comforting about visiting a place that's different from where you live, but it's a favorite place away from home. Even if you've been to a vacation destination before, there are usually new things to explore and new places to go on your next visit."

It's not just an "old or new" choice when selecting the best places to travel. What kind of vacation do you want to experience? Are you and your family in the mood for an adventure? Do you want to spend hours lounging on the beach? Maybe you want to visit places of historical interest or someplace you have always dreamed about seeing.

Listen to this Best Places to Travel episode to hear the pros and cons of visiting an old or new vacation destination. Just click on the "Play Episode" triangle above.

One of Randy's favorite destinations that he talked about on this episode of Camp Codger is Maui. Shortly after this Best Places to Travel--Old or New episode was recorded, a devastating fire destroyed much of the town of Lahaina on the island of Maui, Hawaii.

"My wife, Patti, was literally in tears as she watched news footage of the fires in Lahaina on the west side of Maui," said Randy. "We had just talked about favorite places to vacation on Camp Codger, and now our favorite destination was being destroyed by a wildfire. Front Street was literally engulfed in flames. It was heartbreaking."

The moral of the story: don't wait to visit or revisit one of your "bucket list" places that you'd like to see. You never know when the opportunity to visit might literally go up in flames. All of us here at Camp Codger send our thoughts and prayers to the people of Lahaina on Maui in the wonderful state of Hawaii. We promise to visit when you rebuild your wonderful town.

Would you like to know when the co-hosts of Camp Codger get together to talk about a new topic? Subscribe to our weekly Camp Codger newsletter to receive an email notification each time we publish a new episode. You can also subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast app. And, if you enjoyed this episode about Best Places to Travel--Old or New, please click the Share button below and Like Camp Codger on our Facebook Page. Finally, have some feedback for the old codgers? Leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected].

The first year of Camp Codger is over!! A whole year delivering rocking chair wisdom to our loyal listeners Pretty cool!!

This week, Randy Schultz, Richard Kipling, and Gary Ebersole—your favorite camp counselors—take a breather and look back at where we have been and consider where we might go from here. A big thanks to our senior citizen audience who enjoy our insights and commentary on life in our golden years. We do this podcast for you and we're still "on the air" after 52 episodes.

When we started exploring the idea of an episode that looked back at the first year of Camp Codger, it was almost natural that we would each have our own favorite episodes. Randy thoroughly enjoyed our "Camp Granny" episode with author Sharon Lovejoy while Richard appreciated the insights on retirement offered by LA Times columnist Steve Lopez. Ever the geek, Gary preferred the more educational, technology-based episodes about the Metaverse and ChatGPT.

We all agreed that it was fun to take a stroll down memory lane occasionally. We look back at the music, toys, and major events in our formative years.

In this episode, we also look at ideas for ways to make our podcasts more relevant, interesting, and fun for our listeners. The old codgers have some ideas, but we all agreed that increased audience participation would be great. Send an email to [email protected], leave a comment below, or leave us a voicemail at 505-603-3231 with your ideas about future episodes.

Would you like to know when the co-hosts of Camp Codger get together to talk about a new topic? Subscribe to our weekly Camp Codger newsletter for an email notification each time we publish a new episode. You can also subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast app. And, if you enjoyed this episode about the first year of Camp Codger, please click the Share button below and Like Camp Codger on our Facebook Page. Finally, have some feedback for the old codgers? Leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected].

Older folks often wonder how to start exercising again. Is it beneficial to start an exercise and fitness program again? And what's the best way to get physically fit and stronger if you are a senior citizen who is over 65 years old?

Meredith Chen, of Senior Fitness with Meredith, thinks it's never too late to start a fitness program. Meredith has devoted her fitness business to helping senior citizens get fitter and stronger. She is based in Arizona, but every day seniors from all over the United States and throughout the English-speaking world use her videos to add strength, flexibility, and balance to their lives.

Gary Ebersole, Richard Kipling, and Randy Schultz (the co-hosts of the Camp Codger podcast), asked Meredith to share her insights about senior exercise. They asked her how to start exercising again--even if it's been a long time since you had a fitness routine.

Many seniors were once quite strong and fit. But over the years, they have become more sedentary. They sit more. Many don't play tennis or run anymore. They have lost muscle strength. Perhaps they have issues with flexibility and balance.

"It's never too late to start exercising again," said Meredith, founder of Senior Fitness with Meredith. "Even when you have lost mobility or are confined to a wheelchair, you can still do seated exercises to increase your strength and stamina."

According to Meredith, virtually everyone in their "golden years" can benefit from the right kinds of exercise that correspond to their ability levels.

Physical exercise can benefit adults age 65 and older in many ways. Here are a few ways that exercise can improve your health and well being.

Want to learn more about how to start exercising again and what benefits exercise brings? Listen to the Camp Codger Podcast interview with Meredith from Senior Fitness with Meredith. Just click on the "Play Episode" triangle above.

Would you like to know when the co-hosts of Camp Codger get together to talk about a new topic? Subscribe to our weekly Camp Codger newsletter to receive an email notification each time we publish a new episode. You can also subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast app. And, if you enjoyed this episode about How to Start Exercising Again , please click the Share button below and Like Camp Codger on our Facebook Page. Finally, have some feedback for the old codgers? Leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected].

It's RIP Sports Page as two of the biggest newspapers announce the end of the daily sports section.

Remember reading every word of the newspaper sports page--in the printed newspaper? Camp Codger hosts Richard Kipling and Randy Schultz sure do. The sports page (also known as the sports section) was the first part of the daily newspaper they read. (For host Gary Ebersole, not so much. He was never a fan of the sports page because he was never a real fan of sports.)

Well folks, it's RIP Sports Page as the New York Times has announced it will disband its sports department and cease its daily sports pages. The Los Angeles Times made a similar announcement.

This means neither newspaper will publish sports scores, game results, league standings, baseball box scores, football scores, soccer results, basketball playoff results, hockey scores-- or sporting events of any kind. For Richard and Randy, this is the end of life as they know it.

If you are a baseball fan, you understand the subhead above. Box scores are the detailed (and arcane) way of using a chart to summarize what happened in a baseball game.

In a tiny amount of space on a newspaper page, the box score of a baseball game tells you everyone who played in the game and what they did-- at bats, hits, runs scored, runs batted in. Plus how many runs were scored in each inning and what the final score of the game was. It's brilliant--and avid fans love to read the box scores for their favorite teams.

But if you are a baseball fan in New York or Los Angeles, you can't read box scores in the newspapers anymore. This will soon happen in other cities. Just watch.

Printed newspapers aren't completely dead yet. There are still hundreds of daily newspapers in the US that have daily sports pages. It's not R.I.P. Sports Pages for those newspapers. At least not yet.

But the death of daily sports coverage in printed newspapers is coming. Unfortunately, it's another step in the steady decline of traditional newspapers as online news sources take over.

Gary admits to being an early convert to digital news reading. He dropped his subscription to the printed newspaper a decade ago.

Richard, who spent decades as a print journalist and editor, says on this episode of Camp Codger, "Online has utterly conquered print in the sports information contest." Randy agrees, admitting that "MLB scores" is a frequent Google search on his phone.

For the Camp Codger hosts, daily newspapers are "throwing in the towel" (did you catch that clever sports reference?) on sports coverage. And it's another giant step in the steady march downward for traditional newspapers.

Even if you're not a sports fan, listen to this episode of Camp Codger. Randy reads a letter written by ChatGPT about the Camp Codger podcast. This fan letter, written by a computer, is so gushingly funny that Randy can't read it without laughing out loud.

It's so heart-warming when a computer program like ChatGPT finds humor and comfort from a podcast as human and folksy as Camp Codger!

To listen to this episode, just click on the "Play Episode" triangle above.

Would you like to know when the co-hosts of Camp Codger get together to talk about a new topic? Subscribe to our weekly Camp Codger newsletter to receive an email notification each time we publish a new episode. You can also subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast app. And, if you enjoyed this episode called R,I.P. Sports Page, please click the Share button below and Like Camp Codger on our Facebook Page. Finally, have some feedback for the old codgers? Leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected].

Want to know what ChatGPT can do for seniors? We had the same question.

You might remember our first show about ChatGPT that we posted a few months ago. (On March 22, 2023, to be exact.) That was when ChatGPT (an artificial intelligence program, or AI for short) had just be released to the public.

Back then, we took an in-depth look at all the hype surrounding ChatGPT. We examined what this artificial intelligence (AI) tool could do--and not do. We also discussed the possible dangers of AI in general.

What we (the humble hosts of the Camp Codger podcast: Gary Ebersole, Richard Kipling, and Randy Schultz) found out was ChatGPT wasn't really ready for prime time. It made mistakes. Stupid mistakes. (The bio it wrote about Richard said he had died in 2015!) And the ChatGPT database only went up to 2021.

In this episode, we focus on what ChatGPT can do for seniors. Can it be a valuable tool, in the same way that Google is a valuable tool? Can ChatGPT actually make life better or easier for seniors?

We started by asking ChatGPT to explain what it can do for seniors. It gave us a short list:

That's a pretty good list. But it's important to remember that ChatGPT and other AI tools are not a replacement for human care and attention. ChatGPT is a tool that can supplement care and make life easier and more enjoyable for older adults.

Randy asked ChatGPT to tell him a joke about seniors. In seconds, ChatGPT generated a joke about playing golf in heaven. (It's actually a funny joke--listen to this episode to hear it.)

We got ChatGPT to suggest how to find a home healthcare aide, and it gave us a pretty good list.

Because this technology quickly provides complete answers in seconds, ChatGPT and other similar AI technology is easy to use. And you can rephrase your request and ask for additional information if the first answer is insufficient.

Basically, the Camp Codger co-hosts are optimistic about how this new technology can be helpful in the lives of seniors.

Would you like to know when the co-hosts of Camp Codger get together to talk about a new topic? Subscribe to our weekly Camp Codger newsletter to receive an email notification each time we publish a new episode. You can also subscribe and listen on your favorite podcast app. And, if you enjoyed this episode about what ChatGPT can do for seniors, please click the Share button below and Like Camp Codger on our Facebook Page. Finally, have some feedback for Camo Codger? Leave a comment below or send an email to [email protected].