HeyJaredThe Amateur Elder
Sharing mistakes and triumphs as I navigate the adversities and delights of elderhood in a camper van and...wherever.
- Indexed issues, last 90 days
- 12
- Latest publication
- Sep 27, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 12, 2026
Latest issues
Van Life: Romance vs. Reality (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Shortly after I bought my camper van, I joined a few van life Facebook groups. I wanted to read about the experiences of other people, especially older women traveling solo.What I learned is that most members of these groups are wannabes—people who don’t own a van but want to. I was astonished by their naïve assumptions and romantic notions. But since I’m as curious as a monkey named George, I continued to read posts written by people with van life daydreams.ROMANCERecently, a woman (I’ll call h
Finding Moose, Snowflakes, and Evergreen Trees in My Personal Hell (opens the original)
Read excerpt
One of my visions of hell is being forced to spend eternity inside a dusty used furniture store crammed floor to ceiling with old stuff. Anything labeled as vintage or antique repels me.I’m a little—OK a lot—obsessive about clutter (none, please). I abhor knick-knacks. I like my spaces tidy, clean, and furnished with functional items created during this century.So, why did I deliberately walk through the door of a building with “Gracie’s Antiques” painted on the front window and the word “Used”
Radon “Health” Mines? I’m So Confused! (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Why do people travel to Montana to sit inside old mines that emit high levels of radon, a radioactive gas? Why do clients pay for “treatments” that include intentionally breathing this gas, as well as drinking and bathing in radon water?If you’ve purchased real estate anytime during the past 30 years, the transaction probably included a radon test to be sure the property was safe.In the United States, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, the American Cancer Society, Johns Hopkins Me
“America’s Iliad” in the Land of Dinosaurs (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Please consider upgrading to a Paid Subscription. Any amount you choose helps support my travels and ability to deliver high-quality content. Thank you!I drive Charlotte along Main Street, slowly, in search of a meal. The town looks deserted. No humans in sight, just a few parked vehicles. Eerie. It’s 10 a.m. Where is everybody?<a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!r-sW!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media
Bucking Horses, Watery Memories, and Fantastical Medicine Rocks (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Kudos to whoever said, You can never go back. Because it’s true. If you want to keep your memories unsullied, don’t revisit their origins.Miles City, Montana, where I lived from the age of 16 until halfway through my 21st year, was a thriving community during the late 60s and early 70s. I remember downtown as a lively five-block-long commercial district that included a bookstore, a music store, two women’s clothing boutiques, two department stores, a movie theater, the public library, a gas stat
Publishing over time
Last 90 days. Choose a month to open its work.
Recurring subjects
Named in the text we hold. One piece can cover several.
Audience
No verified audience measurement yet.
About this data
Counts cover the work we have indexed. Tone needs enough text and a confident classification. Excerpts and episode notes are not full articles or transcripts.
Identity or attribution wrong? Suggest a correction.