said we'd better hop in the pickup before all the light was gone. drove me around his land while he chewed tobacco and laughed at my interview questions, but I felt happy, and we hummed together to Hank Williams and he told me if he had all the money in the world, he'd just build a bigger house right there on the land, hire all sorts of help so he'd never lift a finger. told me about the winter years ago, when he saw the Columbia Space Shuttle break apart re-entering the atmosphere, watched debris the size of a poppy seed in the sky inflate and fall into his back yard. called nineoneone cause his instinct was aliens. course that's ridiculous, he adds, it's just that what on earth would you think if you had something like that fall into your backyard. spooked his whole herd.