Guitar VIII

Next Guitar Lesson Book completed was Mel Bay's Complete Method for Modern Guitar, Book 2, by Mel Bay.   

I managed to complete Book 2, which went well for the most part, with some areas played extremely well.

Hike with DL at Ashley Reservoir, 1.5-miles. 

The wonder of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks

Ohio is home to a remarkable archeological wonder, constructed by Indigenous ancestors thousands of years ago.

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is recognized worldwide as a marvel of human ingenuity on par with the pyramids.

“Hopewell Earthworks: Stories Written on the Land,” is a six-part digital docuseries exploring the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks.

Part II

What Was Life Like 2000 Years Ago In North America?

Stretching across the horizon, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks stand as monumental reminders of a world that thrived 2,000 years ago in North America. What was life like around them? 

Today, archaeologists and Native descendants are working to uncover the human stories behind these designs—stories of ingenuity, community, and deep ties to the land. 

Logan York, a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, travels to Seip Earthworks in Chillicothe, Ohio, to seek answers through conversations with archaeologist Timothy Everhart, PhD, and interviews with Native voices and scholars. 

The earthworks still endure, and while we don’t know everything about how they lived, every connection brings us closer to the people who shaped this land—and whose descendants keep their story alive today.

Otis, Tolland and Sandisfield area for snowmobile trail exploration and running for 5.5-miles.

Otis, Tolland and Sandisfield area for snowmobile trail exploration and running for 4.5-miles.

"Country Joe" McDonald (January 1, 1942 – March 7, 2026) passed away today.

He was an American singer, songwriter, musician and film composer, who was the lead singer and co-founder of the 1960s psychedelic folk-rock group Country Joe and the Fish.

Country Joe and the Fish was an American psychedelic rock band formed in Berkeley, California, in 1965. They were among the influential groups in the San Francisco music scene during the mid-to-late 1960s. 

Much of their music was written by members Country Joe McDonald and Barry "The Fish" Melton, with lyrics pointedly addressing issues of importance to the counterculture, such as anti-war protests, free love, and recreational drug use. Through a combination of psychedelia and electronic music, the band's sound was marked by innovative guitar melodies and distorted organ-driven instrumentals which were significant to the development of acid rock.

The band self-produced two EPs that drew attention on the underground circuit before signing to Vanguard Records in 1966. 

Their debut album, "Electric Music for the Mind and Body", followed in '67. It contained their only nationally charting single, "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine", as well as their most experimental arrangements.  Their second album, "I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die", was released in late '67; its title track, with its dark humor & satire, became their signature tune and is among the era's most recognizable protest songs. Further success followed, including McDonald's solo appearance as well as an appearance at Woodstock.

EPs

Talking Issue No. 1: Songs of Opposition, Rag Baby (1965)

Country Joe and the Fish, Rag Baby (1966)

Studio albums

Electric Music for the Mind and Body (1967)

I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die (1967)

Together (1968)

Here We Are Again (1969)

CJ Fish (1970)

Reunion (1977)

ArchaeoEd Podcast

Get ready to embark on a time-traveling adventure with the legendary archaeologist, Dr. Ed Barnhart!

Let's unearth the stories of the awe-inspiring civilizations of the Americas. 

These are the tales that only get a fleeting mention in western history books.

ArchaeoEd, S4E4 "Origins of the Inca" - The Wari"

 Episode 4.4 - Origins of the Inca" - The Wari

The Wari were a civilization of 100's of 1000's of people living in the Andes between 500 and 1000 CE.  Never heard of them?  You're not alone.  In this episode, I'll tell you about them and explain why I believe they were the inspiration for the later Inca Empire.

Non-Black Lizard / Vintage Crime #07 for 2026...

"Being There", by Jerzy Kosiński, published in 1971.

“- Growth has its season. There are spring and summer, but there are also fall and winter. And then spring and summer again. As long as the roots are not severed, all is well and all be well.”

― Jerzy Kosinski, Being There

“In a garden, things grow . . . but first, they must wither; trees have to lose their leaves in order to put forth new leaves, and to grow thicker and stronger and taller. Some trees die, but fresh saplings replace them. Gardens need a lot of care. But if you love your garden, you don’t mind working in it, and waiting. Then in the proper season you will surely see it flourish.”

“No one likes a dying man, Chauncey, because few know what death is. All we know is the terror of it.”

“if you love your garden, you don’t mind working in it, and waiting. Then in the proper season you will surely see it flourish.”

“It was Sunday. Chance was in the garden. He moved slowly, dragging the green hose from one path to the next, carefully watching the flow of water. Very gently he let the stream touch every plant, every flower, every branch of the garden. Plants were like people; they needed care to live, to survive their diseases, and to die peacefully.”

“And yet, with all its life, even at the peak of its bloom, the garden was its own graveyard. Under every tree and bush lay rotten trunks and disintegrated and decomposing roots. It was hard to know which was more important: the garden’s surface or the graveyard from which it grew and into which it was constantly lapsing. For”

“Chance became only an image for millions of real people. They would never know how real he was, since his thinking could not be televised. And to him, the viewers existed only as projections of his own thought, as images. He would never know how real they were, since he had never met them and did not know what they thought.”

“Of all the manifold things there were in all the world—trees, grass, flowers, telephones, radios, elevators—only TV constantly held up a mirror to its own neither solid nor fluid face.”

“Many of us forget that nature and society are one! Yes, though we have tried to cut ourselves off from nature, we are still part of it. Like nature, our economic system remains, in the long run, stable and rational, and that’s why we must not fear to be at its mercy.”

― Jerzy Kosiński, Being There

Guitar VII

It has been a while since I updated completed Guitar Method Books, next completed was A Modern Method for Guitar by William Leavitt.   

This is published by Berkley.  

I managed to complete Book I Section II.  

I play most of the material well, struggle a bit at the end of the chapter.

The wonder of the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks

Ohio is home to a remarkable archeological wonder, constructed by Indigenous ancestors thousands of years ago.

The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is recognized worldwide as a marvel of human ingenuity on par with the pyramids.

“Hopewell Earthworks: Stories Written on the Land,” is a six-part digital docuseries exploring the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks.

Part I

Who Were The Ancestral Builders You Were Never Taught About?

Built 2,000 years ago—long before the founding of the United States—the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks stand as a testament to the ingenuity of the ancestors of many present-day tribes. But what do we truly know about the people who built them and why? 

Logan York, a citizen of the Miami Tribe of Oklahoma, journeys to the Hopewell Mound Group in Chillicothe, Ohio, to explore these questions. 

Through conversations with archaeologists Bret Ruby, PhD, and Bradley Lepper, PhD, and interviews with Tribal representatives and scholars, Logan uncovers the cultural significance and enduring relevance of these sites—honoring those who lived, gathered, and built here generations ago.

Otis,  Tolland and Sandisfield area for some snowmobile trail exploration and running for 6-miles.

What Played in Ed's Head -- 

Music listened to for the time-period February 1 through February 28, 2026:

Otis, Tolland & Sandisfield area for some snowmobile trail exploration and running for 4.8-miles.

ArchaeoEd Podcast

Get ready to embark on a time-traveling adventure with the legendary archaeologist, Dr. Ed Barnhart!

Let's unearth the stories of the awe-inspiring civilizations of the Americas. 

These are the tales that only get a fleeting mention in western history books.

ArchaeoEd, S4E3 Mississippian Burial Patterns

 Episode 4.2 - Mississippian Burial Patterns

Mississippian civilization honored its dead by laying them to rest in pyramidal burial mounds.  But why?  What did it mean to them and where did they get the idea to do it?  In this episode, we'll discuss that tradition - including its origins and evolution.

"Return to Fit" at YMCA through LED, #09.

Otis, Tolland & Sandisfield area for some snowmobile trail exploration and running for 8.7-miles.