Camp Codger

Sam Toperoff died this year, and that makes me really sad.

I never met Sam, but as all good writers do with their readers, he created a connection. I felt I knew him as a friend after reading his essay In The Land of the Very Old. There are no geographical coordinates for this strange place. It’s a state of mind Sam conjured up about aging. In this sweet piece of writing, he describes...

Gary returns with an episode about receiving an insane EOB (Explanation of Benefits) from United HealthCare.

Today, it’s a rant, but I promise to make it a short tirade. The trigger? My latest EOB statement from my healthcare insurance company. To be honest, I seldom download and open these statements. I’m a big fan of Medicare and have a really good Advantage plan thanks to my late w...

Gary decided his prostate cancer was not yet in the rearview mirror.

I know. I wrapped up the Prostate Papers project in the last episode. It was planned as the final episode of the series. I didn’t want to write about my prostate cancer any longer, and I’m sure you didn’t want to listen. After all, in my thinking, it was over. My cancer staging was encouraging (favorable intermediat...

The wrap and final episode of The Prostate Papers. It's time to draw this story to a close.

Gary Ebersole here, back with the closing chapter of The Prostate Papers. You might have noticed the recent “dead air” from the Camp Codger podcast. I haven’t abandoned Camp Codger, but I couldn’t bring myself to deliver another long episode about prostate cancer. Sometimes, you can get too clo...

In The Club episode of The Prostate Paper, Gary discovers new friends with a shared experience dealing with prostate cancer.

Gary Ebersole here, back with another chapter of The Prostate Papers. When I closed the last episode, I said I’d discuss the challenges of choosing the optimal diagnostic path. I had recorded and edited the episode and was about to publish it. It was at that poi...

In this episode, Gary enters the prostate cancer maze when his PSA test results increase rapidly.

This is Gary Ebersole. I’m back with another chapter of The Prostate Papers. In this episode, we get serious about all the decision points and choices that men must make in their journey through the “prostate zone.” As always, I remind the listener or reader that I’m not a doctor. I’m mer...

In this episode of The Prostate Paper, Gary comes out of the prostate cancer information rabbit hole and takes stock of what he has learned.

Gary Ebersole again. I’m back with another report on my journey into the “prostate zone.” As I mentioned in the previous episode, I’m not a medical professional, and I’m not giving medical advice. My objective with these podcast episodes is to sh...

In this episode of The Prostate Papers, Gary goes way down the prostate cancer information rabbit hole.

Welcome back to one man’s trip into the dreaded “prostate zone.” Before I start, let me remind listeners that I am NOT—repeat—NOT a doctor. I’m just a reasonably well-informed patient, and I’m sharing what I have learned in the hope that other folks entering the “prostate zone” migh...

In the first episode of The Prostate Papers, Gary explains how accelerating PSA scores sent him into the "prostate zone" and off for an MRI.

Welcome to The Prostate Papers, one man’s trip into the dreaded “prostate zone.” You might reasonably ask, “Whoa! Where did this ‘prostate papers’ conversation come from?” And you might also ask why I’m turning my very personal story into a publi...

The Land of the Very Old is growing closer for Gary but he's not at the border yet! He filed the following report about an article he recommends about traveling to that not-too-distant land.

A couple of months ago, a friend sent me a link to an article titled In the Land of the Very Old (https://sundaylongread.com/2024/01/23/in-the-land-of-the-very-old/). My first thought was—huh? W...

Camp Codger 2.0 has arrived in your podcast feed!

Surprised to be hearing from us again? After all, didn’t we say goodbye a few weeks ago? Are the codgers back in the game?

The short answer is “maybe”. This is an experiment and may end up being a very short comeback tour. When we decided to wrap up the Camp Codger podcast, Gary Ebersole had convinced himself that he was ready to m...

It's been a good run, but, with a heavy heart, it's time for the old codgers to say goodbye. We hope you enjoyed listening to Camp Codger as much as we did creating and publishing these last 72 episodes. In an epilogue episode, Gary explains how we came to this difficult decision. Leave a comment below or send an email to campcodger@gmail.com if you have any last thoughts.

Goodbye!

Bah Humbug, return of the Grinch, and here comes Gary Ebersole to ruin whatever Christmas joy is left.

We all know that Ebenezer Scrooge says, Bah Humbug. The Grinch means Christmas is in danger. Then there's Gary Ebersole, co-host of Camp Codger and hater of the holiday season, Christmas shopping, and pretty much everything that happens between Thanksgiving Day and Christmas ...

Yes, Holiday Loneliness is a real thing--especially for seniors during the most festive season of the year. Here's what you can do about it.

You know that Andy Williams song that we hear from Thanksgiving Day all the way through Christmas? The name of the song is, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year." It's a popular song because for most of us, the holiday season really is the ...

How to have Christmas fun with grandkids-- and a year-round guide to making memories with your grandchildren from Camp Granny author, Sharon Lovejoy.

Happy holiday season! We interviewed Sharon Lovejoy in the summer about her wonderful book, Camp Granny. If there's an expert on how to have fun with kids and grandkids, it's Sharon. She's a successful author, illustrator, speaker, and s...

This week, the codgers tell their retirement stories. Did they retire at 65? Retirement planning, new hobbies, how to enjoy retirement, and more.

If you're a subscriber to Camp Codger, you already know about the survey we emailed last week. We asked subscribers to tell us which topics they wanted to hear about on the Camp Codger podcast. Retirement was one of the top choices. As a re...

Thanksgiving, mortality, and gratitude come together during a thoughtful hike by Gary.

I’m 75 and occasionally I feel every day of my age. And, frankly, I have been feeling mortal more often lately. The day after Thanksgiving was one of those days. I was hiking up Sun Mountain, one of my favorite short but intense hikes. Three miles round-trip and a bit over 600 feet of elevation gain...

You might be right if you think Amazon has ruined holiday season shopping. Or not.

Holiday season shopping used to mean going downtown or to the shopping mall to buy Christmas and Hanukkah gifts for friends and family. But now, Amazon and online shopping have made buying gifts from your smart phone or laptop computer so easy.

On this episode of the Camp Codger podcast, the three Ca...