Camp Codger

Larry Barsh, codger podcaster, is the creator and host of Specifically for Seniors , a podcast he started when he was 85 years old. In this episode, we interview Larry to learn more about how his podcast originated and what drives him to commit this level of effort in his golden years. Larry is one of us—an old codger who is energetic and still curious about life. He has had many guests on his sho...

Movies for seniors is a fun topic. Who doesn't enjoy a good movie now and then? But not every movie is a good fit for our entertainment choices as we grow older. No doubt there are lots of senior citizens who still love a good action film. Other folks in their golden years lean more toward lower-key movies. In this episode, the old codgers look back at some films that attracted them when they were...

In the second of two episodes, we continue our discussion of modern retirement with Steve Lopez , a longtime columnist for the LA Times. Steve is also a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and a bestselling New York Times author. His latest book, Independence Day , documents his year-long search for the answer to the question confronting many senior citizens. When is the best time to retire? In his...

In the first of two episodes, we discuss modern retirement with Steve Lopez , a longtime columnist for the LA Times. Steve is also a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and a bestselling New York Times author. His latest book, Independence Day , documents his year-long search for the answer to the question confronting many senior citizens. When is the best time to retire? In his journey to answer th...

Happy hour with the codger wives is always a fun way to relax after a rigorous day of investigating snowbird life. During a round of whiskey sours, the old codgers and their better halves discussed retirement, winter vacations, and snowbirding. The consensus was a few warm days in the sunshine while winter was still raging up north was a pretty good life. We considered ourselves lucky senior citiz...

ChatGPT and seniors drive this week's discussion. It's everywhere in the media and we wonder if it's hype or if it is something people in their golden years should think about. Spoiler alert—the answer is both. It's a compelling topic attracting boatloads of media attention and represents significant progress in the decades-long effort to move the dial in artificial intelligence. While the old cod...

Codger snowbirds? Us? You betcha! We're off for a short visit to Arizona to join our fellow senior citizens in a game of pickleball, a dip in the pool, and hikes in the warm sunshine. Surprisingly enough, even Gary decided that being a snowbird had its good sides. Randy came to that conclusion long ago and Richard has emerged as a confirmed "sunbird". The old codgers appreciated the opportunity to...

Classic TV of the 50s and 60s included shows ranging from I Love Lucy to Bonanza to The Ed Sullivan Show . Many of the genres such as sitcoms, dramas, and Westerns are still with us today, but variety shows have largely disappeared. Our venues have changed dramatically, too. No longer does the whole family gather in the living room around the huge TV box to watch. We are no longer transfixed by th...

Seniors and volunteering can seem tightly coupled. After all, who else has the free time that is available to most retired senior citizens? We also like the idea of "giving back" to the communities that nurtured us as we were earning a living and raising our families seems good. But is it for everybody? The old codgers admit that they have not been the most active volunteers for a variety of reaso...

The old codgers vs ChatGPT? It's certainly not the battle of the century. In fact, it's just the old counselors at Camp Codger asking for your assistance. Listen to this short plea for help as they plan an episode about what ChatGPT means for senior citizens. Then send Gary an email (gary@campcodger.com) with your ideas for questions or requests they can put to the world's newly famous robot. R2D2...

How to not get scammed should be easy for senior citizens. We're experienced, wise old folks who learned, when we were children, the golden rule of scam avoidance— if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Yet the FBI reports that people over 60 lost $1.7 billion to fraud in 2021. Today's challenge is simply the pervasiveness of online scamming. When we were growing up, fraudsters needed t...

The secrets to a happy life are pretty basic as the old codgers discover. A recent book by the leaders of the long-running (84 years!) Harvard Study on Adult Development reports that one path to achieving happiness in our golden years is quite straightforward—senior citizens who have good relationships are happier. The authors lay out different practices to help develop and nurture relationships o...

Forks in the road confront all of us. Most are relatively trivial, but we all have faced major decisions that changed the course of our lives. The old codgers examine some of the life-determining choices they have made. Career choices and where to live are often at the top of the list of critical forks in the road. The codgers all made these choices, frequently early in their lives, but they also...

Too much stuff!! Isn't that a common complaint when we head out to the garage or go to our offices? After 60, 70, or 80 years on this planet, most of us have collected more stuff than we really use. Unfortunately, the process of getting rid of clothes we will never wear again, tools we don't use, books we have already read, and other ephemera gathering dust around our homes is not as easy as it sh...

Get your butt off the couch! It's Randy's strongly worded suggestion that exercise makes a real difference in our physical and mental health. The first step is easy—stand up and just get your butt off the couch. The old codgers describe their individual regimes for exercise as well as acknowledge that, as they have grown older, their physical limitations are beginning to constrain what they can do...

Seniors and pets go together. Survey data shows that over half of folks in their golden years have pets. However, there are pros and cons to pet ownership. As owners know, there is nothing quite like the unconditional love of a dog, but having a pet has downsides. As we get older, sometimes just the simple act of caring for a pet can seem overwhelming. For many, the costs can seem prohibitive with...

Go with the flow is the 2023 mantra for the old codgers. In this episode, the guys ramble on about subjects ranging from dealing with the holiday season (it's finally over) to using turn signals. They discuss running an experiment where they would lock away their constant companions (you know, their cell phones) for 23 hours a day. No takers since they are all confirmed users of communications tec...

In this "holiday special" episode, we introduce the codger wives who have become a regular part of the podcast as we mention them often during our episodes. Patti, Alison, and Bee share a little about themselves and tell us what they like about the podcast. They also make excellent suggestions about topics we might cover in future episodes. So, join us in the last episode of the year to meet the c...

Sleep challenges of seniors are frequent topics of conversation. Most of us have experienced the occasional bout of insomnia, but many senior citizens find it increasingly persistent as they get older. In this episode, Richard vividly documents a recent bout of insomnia that kept him up for several hours in the middle of the night. He reports that he used to sleep like a baby until he hit his mid-...

This week, the old codgers deliver money-saving tips for seniors. Their ideas range from simple practicality like always grocery shopping with a list that helps avoid wasteful impulse buying to saving money on books. Many senior citizens may already be using Richard's suggestion to take public transit more often. Gary's take on using food packing expiration dates more wisely might strike many as a...

Ills and pills. Sometimes it seems like it’s the number one topic of discussion at the table when a gaggle of senior citizens gathers for dinner or coffee. And it’s natural. Our aging bodies are beginning to fail us in our golden years and retirement gives us time to ponder our increasing infirmities. A game that one of the old codgers likes to play is to quietly track how long it takes during a g...

The "best bands of the 60s" is often a popular topic of discussion when old codgers get together. In this Camp Codger episode, we take a trip down memory lane to reminisce about our favorite bands and musical artists. We touch on the obvious great bands like the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Rolling Stones, but we also take side trips during our musical journey and recall other, lesser-known fa...

Whether you celebrate the season with utter abandon or just hunker down and try to survive Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day, a holiday survival guide might be in order. As you might expect, the old codgers have a range of opinions on how to handle the holiday season. In this episode, we explore the challenges of Christmas tree lights that don't work and buying the perfect gift. We also...

Are retirement communities on the horizon for the old codgers? As they look forward to another winter of shoveling snow, the guys wonder when they are ready to consider the big move. They discuss whether the advantages of warm weather and endless leisure activities are right for them if they head to the Sun Belt. Retirement communities affiliated with universities are attractive alternatives for l...

Birthday celebrations for seniors are top of mind for the old codgers this week. They discuss how they like to celebrate their birthdays (Gary quietly celebrated his 74th last week), their best birthdays, and whether they like birthday parties. Gift ideas for seniors are on the agenda as well as the sad decline in sending real paper birthday cards, not digital "cards". When it comes to birthday ce...