Green Hills of Earth

      I am writing this at the risk of sounding like the nerdiest person in the world.  Jonathan and I have been goofing around on our instruments, and we ended up putting chords and a melody to a song from one of Robert Heinlein's short stories, "The Green Hills of Earth."  In the story, a jetman, named Rhysling, loses his sight to radiation while working in the engine room of a spacecraft.  Afterwards, he is no longer useful as a jetman (or so people think) so he becomes a space bard, and wanders the solar system with his accordion musically chronicling the people and places he sees. (*SPOILER ALERT-Skip the rest of this paragraph if you ever plan on reading the story.)  Rhysling travels for years and then finally decides to return to "the green hills of Earth."  He bums a ride on a transport and the engine malfunctions causing radioactive material to fill the room.  The jetman on duty dies leaving Rhysling to dump the radioactive material.  As he completes what he knows will be his last task, he describes the solar system in verses, and sings one last revised chorus.

We pray for one last landing

On the globe that gave us birth

Let us rest our eyes on fleecy skies

And the cool green hills of Earth!

      This is our tribute to Rhysling.  It is still in the very early stages, and I actually didn't even know my sister was recording us, but I had one good reason to post this.  This is a great example of having fun, which so many people forget to do.  For example, the drum you hear isn't even a drum.  It's just my little sister banging on a popcorn tin.  Using what you have is at the heart of folk music.  Also, these fun and informal jams help to keep music in perspective.  Music is supposed to bring joy.   Practicing is important; without it you won't get far.  However, if you only work on the formal part of music you won't get very far either.  There are plenty of times when I practice and get frustrated.  That will happen, but times like this, when I am having fun, counteract all the frustrations.  Plus, jamming like this gets you out of your comfort zone, and forces you to learn on the fly.  It is something that is great for all musicians, especially folk musicians.  Anyway, when we complete the song, I'll get a higher quality recording and repost.