"Stairway to Heaven" Reaches a Milestone Birthday.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Led Zeppelin's magnum opus, "Stairway to Heaven". The song, which is nearly ten minutes long, is considered one of the greatest rock songs of all time. Composed in late 1970 by band members Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, it was released on the album Led Zeppelin IV in November 1971. 

The song contains a variety of guitar parts and techniques. The first part, soft sounding arpeggiated chords, is played finger style on an acoustic guitar. These chords are played throughout the song when the verses are sung and are the most recognizable sounds for most people. The remaining parts are played on electric guitars, both six string and twelve string. Jimmy Page would usually use a double necked guitar when playing the song live so he did not have to switch guitars in the middle. As the song progresses, it becomes more of a hard rock tune. Page's guitar playing and Plant's singing become more and more rock, or even metal sounding, as they drive the song through the thought-provoking lyrics.

The verse chords are not that uncommon, but later in the song Page employs variations of these more familiar chords. For someone still learning to play the guitar, like me, this is a great song to spend time on. The chord shapes for the verses are pretty simple although playing bar chords is always good practice. Playing arpeggiated chords is always a challenge for me, but when this song is played well the sound is magical. Learning the chord variations and where they go in the song is a great way to practice moving my left hand around on the fretboard.

The solo, considered by many to be the best rock solo ever, is beyond my skill level. It is still fun to just play the chords while Jimmy is wailing away. One interesting tidbit about the solo is that Page has said that he played is using a Fender Telecaster. He is usually identified as a Gibson Les Paul played so it is interesting that he used a Fender on one of Led Zeppelin's most iconic songs. 

When I began learning to play guitar, my teacher showed me the opening chords to this song pretty early in my lessons. So, I have known the shapes for a long time. Every once in a while, I will get the urge to try and get a little better at playing this masterpiece of rock music. The fact that I pulled it out again so close to the 50th anniversary of its release seems to have a little bit of karma to it. 

Covid Deadly for the Elderly

The New York Times reported yesterday that 1 in 100 Americans over the age of 65 has died from Covid 19 or its variants since the pandemic began early last year. For all other age groups, the ratio is in 1 in 1400. The Times also reported that 75 percent of the Covid 19 deaths in the United States have been people over the age of 65. 

As a person over 65, I found these statistics pretty alarming. Although I have done a lot of reading about the virus since it began infecting Americans almost two years ago, I was not conscience of just how much more deadly the virus has been for the elderly. It's important to note that the vast majority of the people over 65 who died from the virus were unvaccinated. That would include those who died prior to the vaccine being available and since that time. The elderly population continues to have the highest vaccination rate.

I have had all three of the shots available, but still wear a mask in certain situations. There is always at least one in my pocket so if I am in a place that goes from feeling safe to unsafe, I can quickly put one on. Sometimes it is a store or restaurant becoming more crowded or encountering someone who is coughing or sneezing. At the YMCA someone doing a lot of heavy breathing causes me to mask up. 

A couple of weeks ago I was eating with a group of co-workers, some of whom I did not know well. After the meal I had not put my mask back on. During the conversation the woman next to me was telling how she suffered some type of sprain during a fall. When someone asked if she saw a physician, she replied that she does not go to the doctor. This was enough for me know to immediately put my mask on. 

It is frustrating to feel this way after being fully vaccinated, but the New York Times article reinforced my belief that it is still better to wear a mask when out in a group of people I don't know. I am confident that the vaccine works to level the experts say it does, but even they admit that it is not perfect. I am not going to take any unnecessary risks that could land me in the breakthrough case category, or worse, be one of the 1 in 100 people over 65 who have died from the virus already.

The Weather Gods are Messing with Us

The calendar says December, but the weather forecast says something else. Northeast Wisconsin is nearing mid-December and the ground is barely frozen. There is a thin sheet of ice on the Fox River, which developed during the last 48 hours when the temperatures dropped to a little below normal. But even this brief cold snap did not drop temperatures to the bitter cold level. The forecast for next week indicates that we will experience temperatures in the high forties.

For many people, particularly those who do not participate in any outdoor winter activities, this type of weather is welcome. There is no snow to remove from driveways and sidewalks, parking lots are not so icy, and the chances of getting in a car accident due to poor winter driving conditions are much less. But for those of us who enjoy getting out in the winter, this is a disappointing start to the season.

After putting away my motorcycle and road bicycle for the winter I was hoping to be able to get my Trek Farley 5 fat bike out on the snow bike trails before Christmas. The trails need a good base of snow to be packed down by the groomers before they are ridable. We have gotten a few inches of snow, but not nearly enough to open up the local trails. 

A more important issue is what this type of weather will do to the local environment. The flora and fauna in this area thrive on normal winters, with a hard frost in the ground and a thick sheet of ice on the water. In their absence, the water levels fluctuate more than normal, and plants suffer in a variety of ways. Especially problematic for plants is a warm spell in January or February that "tricks" the plants into budding. A subsequent drop in temperatures can have a traumatic effect on the new buds. In addition, a hard frost kills off the bugs and insects that become a nuisance in the summer. 

With apologies to those who are reveling in anticipation of forty-degree days in December, I for one am looking forward to some big snow and some normal December temperatures.

Incoming: Electric Cars and Trucks

If you have read this blog for any amount of time you know that my first purpose in writing is to describe my motorcycling experiences. The thrill of riding and seeing things from the back of a bike never gets old for me. But two wheeled machines do not represent the limit of my interest in motorized transportation. While I did not grow up in a motorhead family nor develop an interest in cars at a young age, it did not take long for my interest to grow once I learned to drive.

The first car I owned was a 1972 Pontiac Le Mans. My dad had to co-sign on the loan, but it was my very own car and represented freedom. Within a month of owning it, I was on my way to New York City for my sister's wedding. At the age of nineteen I drove that shiny copper colored car through Chicago, the mountains of western Pennsylvania, the wilds of New Jersey and into the Big Apple. 

Over the next fifty years I have owned many cars and a few trucks. They have all been gas powered internal combustion engines. No diesels made it into my garage, and I have not ventured into the electric car market. But it appears that, if I live long enough, that may have to change.

Two of the big American manufacturers, Ford and General Motors, are investing heavily in car battery research. These companies have been around for over a century, and they know their business. They would not be spending the sums that they are if they did not see electric cars as the future of personal transportation. 

I have the opportunity to be around people who have been interested in cars their whole lives. Some have made living dealing with all things automotive and for some it has been a hobby. For the vast majority internal combustion engines, gas or diesel, have been the only engines they have encountered. It is understandable that they have a fondness for them, but I am puzzled when some discount the approach of electric vehicles. I have heard the phrase "smoke and mirrors" used to describe battery-powered cars as if there is no science behind the technology at all. 

It may be that the buggy whip manufacturers thought the same thing about horseless carriages. The difference now is that we all have access to the latest scientific information regarding electric car battery technology through the internet. In battery technology, as well as other aspects of 21st century life in America, science is often scoffed at or ignored. My money is on the car companies and their investors to know what the automotive future holds for all of us.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

The time has come to choose a Christmas tree for 2021. This has been a yearly event for my wife and I since 1974. We were married in June that year and lived on the second floor of a two-family house on Green Bay's east side. Up until then neither one of us had much experience with fresh Christmas trees other than helping to decorate them when we were kids and hoping there would be presents with our names on them underneath them each year.

That first year we wanted to cut our own and drove thirty miles north of the city to a tree farm. We pulled up to the tree barn in our 1972 Pontiac LeMans and my first thought revolved around whether or not I would be able to get out of the so-called parking lot. There was at least a foot of snow on the ground and the plowing effort had been rather half-hearted. But we were there, so it was time to find our first tree.

The first ornament on the first tree

The owner came out in a deer hunting getup and looked unappreciatively at my car and citified clothing. After describing what kind of tree we were looking for, he handed me an old saw and, with his stub of a cigar, pointed in a general direction into the forest of would-be Christmas trees. We set off into the snow, wishing we had brought along some breadcrumbs.

After about a half hour of slogging past hundreds of unsuitable specimens, we came upon one that seemed like it would meet our needs. We circled it warily, shaking the accumulated snow off its wildly asymmetrical branches. A little trimming here, a little there, and it would look fine we agreed. I got down and, finding the thick trunk, began sawing away. Either the saw had never been sharpened or it had gotten a lot of use already that year because it turned out to be quite a chore to fell Christmas tree number one. But eventually it succumbed to my efforts and we dragged it back to the car.

I knocked on the barn door and the owner came out, this time with a huge dog. At the time I had no experience with dogs, so I quickly paid him the eight bucks for the tree and gave him his saw. He remained outside, and he and the big hound seemed disappointed when we were able to get the tree in the trunk and made it out of the lot without getting stuck.

All decorated and all smiles in 1974

Over the years these tree hunting experiences became a great trove of stories to be told over the Christmas seasons. One tree we got at the local lot and carried it home. One tree fell off the roof of our 1990 Chevy S10 Blazer several times on the way home. In recent years we bought one that was obviously too small when we got it home and it went immediately to a local shelter. The young fellows at the tree farm were surprised to see us back so soon for another tree.

We still go to a tree farm, but we pick out a precut tree instead of cutting our own. They are all perfectly shaped and we have it trimmed to the correct height. It will be shaken and wrapped before it is placed in the back of the truck for an uneventful ride home. This year we will host our 48th Christmas tree and, like every one of its predecessors, it will be the best one ever.

2018 Tree

Into December

The calendar has turned over to December and there is still no measurable snow in northeast Wisconsin. Today there have been a few flurries but with the temperature hovering several degrees above freezing there is no chance for any accumulation. Looking into the forecast for the next seven to ten days indicates that we will be near mid-December before there is a chance of any real snow in the area.

I was holding off on putting my BMW R 1250 GSA away for the winter, but finally did so a couple of days ago. It always feels like a bigger deal than it really is. After I take the big BMW aluminum panniers off I put the correct amount of Sta Bil in the tank. Then I run the motor for five minutes as the product directs.  Next I wheel it into the back corner of the garage and hoist it up on the center stand. Once the charger is hooked up and the cover put on, the job is complete. So it's more of a psychological event than a a physical one. In reality I could have the bike out next week again without a lot of effort.

October 2021

But psychologically I am facing three or four months without riding and finding other things to look forward to each day. The lack of snow and ice allows me to get out and walk, but a few nice snowfalls would give me the opportunity to get my Trek Farley 5 fat bike out on the trails. It that doesn't happen, it will be a pretty dreary winter. 

January 2021

The library has been a good source of entertainment lately. I have found some good books, both fiction and nonfiction, that have helped ease the extra hours of darkness. The weeks before Christmas are always pretty busy too, so I won't miss the snow as much this month. But come January 1st I will be looking for some snow and beautifully groomed snow bike trails.

Wisconsin: Another Ten Years of a Gerrymandered Legislature

 The Wisconsin Supreme Court, which is supposed to be non-partisan, sided with the Republican members of the state legislature in a ruling yesterday. The court decided, on a strict partisan vote, not to order the Republicans to work with their Democratic legislative colleagues to develop new and more fair legislative and congressional voting districts. 

In 2011, when the state had a Republican governor and Republican controlled legislature, the Republicans enlisted help from the likes of the Koch brothers to establish new districts throughout the state. The methods used were so devious that the maps were drawn behind closed doors. They effectively ensured that the Republicans would win enough seats in the senate and the assembly to hold a voting majority and leadership in both houses. The maps are so well gerrymandered that Republicans can do whatever they want in the legislature with no fear of losing control of either house. The only check on their power has been that wielded by Democratic Governor Tony Evers since his election in 2018. But even his ability to check the Republican empire was limited by laws rammed through the legislature and signed by the outgoing Republican governor in late 2018.

Due to the court's ruling yesterday it appears that the state will continue to be under the thumb of legislators who govern with no fear of losing their seats. This is the opposite of what the phrase, "We the people", is supposed to stand for. While the Republican party wraps itself in the American flag and blabbers on about "true patriots", they trample the right of citizens to have a fair voice in who leads the state of Wisconsin.

The Dairy State was once known as a progressive state and the Wisconsin Idea was something that was emulated by other states. Now the state ranks mid-pack in areas such as the economy, infrastructure and crime and corrections according to a US News and World Report study. It also ranks behind neighboring Minnesota in the overall rankings. It should be noted that these rankings have improved since Evers became governor. 

It will be an interesting year as the Republicans will do all they can to regain the governor's office in the 2022 election and have absolute power once again. After yesterday's court decision we know for sure that they will continue to control the legislature.