Hello, how are you today?
OK, it's trying to rain so I've got a little time to do this.

What kind of work did you do yesterday between the farm business and Dick's Garage?
I got up around 6AM and headed off to the field to bale straw. On the way I thought I'd better drive by a couple pastures and make sure the cows were in since I hadn't done that the day before. It's a good thing I did because in one pasture I found a cow that had laid down on a bit of an incline and got over balanced and couldn't get up. I threw a rope around her neck and tied the other end to the tow hook on the pickup and got her back up again. She had been there for quite a while but I think she'll be OK. Then I went to the field and finished baling straw around 10 AM. After that I went home and loaded up all my air conditioning stuff and headed off to fix some AC problems. I worked on 2 combines, 1 tractor, 1 semi, and 1 car and was home around 1 O'clock. After dinner I had another call and went to check out one more AC on a tractor. When I got home I got the combine ready to go and went out and combined a truck load of wheat. By then it was time to call it a day.

When you graduated high school did you ever imagine you'd still be living on the same farm all these years later? I guess the thought crossed my mind, but at 17 years old you don't think that far ahead.

Who was your best childhood friend and where is he today?
When I was a kid we didn't get very far from home like you guys did. I guess the closest neighbor in my age group was Kirk [Madsen]. He still lives close by.

What was your first memory of young Marcie Bell?
She looked like a real tomboy, probably someone that would play a joke on you or something. I really got that one right since her favorite holiday is April fool's day.

Will it be weird having all the kids gone once Alex takes off for college in August?
Oh yea, It will be very quiet around here I'm sure.

Do you think Alex will take over the family farm one day, or by some weird turn of fate I would carry on the tradition?
You?, I don't think so. I'm sure Alex could do it if he wanted to, but there has to be better paying jobs than being a farmer.

Is there any truth to the rumors that you may be looking into getting a new house?
Yes, but looking is free. Since we're sitting in the middle of a drought, I seriously doubt that anything will happen anytime soon.

When is the last time you visited Korky's in Yale, or whatever they call it now?
Korky sold the bar a few weeks ago. It is now called the "Redline Bar". I haven't been in there since Korky sold it.

When you played on that amateur pool team at Korky's, was your team any good?
Not really. We were just in it for the fun and didn't take it too seriously. We would get lucky and win some once in a while. I think we usually ended up in the middle of the league for points.

Would you ever consider getting that lasik eye surgery so you wouldn't have to wear glasses?
Absolutely. I have been thinking about it for quite a while. It's not that expensive when you consider what glasses cost.
 

Would you be in favor of more Carpenter Bashes in the future?
Sure, who knows who you might drag home next time.

Do you have any memories of attending school that final year Carpenter still had a school?
A few. There were 4 grades all in the same room. I was a 3rd grader and there were 2 other boys in my class. I think there were 2 boys in 4th grade. I'm not sure, but I think there were 4 in 2nd grade and 3 or 4 in 1st grade. Nothing very exciting ever happened though.

What was your crowning athletic achievement at Willow Lake High School?
I wasn't much of an athlete so I don't have much too choose from. I guess I can remember playing Grant Duel in football and they were always good. They supposedly had a real good running back that was big, so for a whole week we practiced tackling our center, Mike Sprang, who was about the same size as their running back. It must have done some good, because I think it was either the 1st or 2nd play of the game I took the big guy out by tackling him at the ankles. I think we even won that game, 1 of the few that year.

How come you are a Chicago Bears fan?
Walter Payton!! As far as I'm concerned, probably the best running back ever.

What was your first car?
A 1965 Chevy Biscayne 4 door. I think dad gave $250 for it. It had a 283 and a powerglide. What a car!

What is the farthest you've ever been away from Carpenter?
I guess it was when we went to Cancun a few years ago.

Where would you most want to eat if you visited the Twin Cities?
It doesn't matter to me, but it wouldn't be Chinese.

Do you think you would have enjoyed working a summer at Valleyfair in your early 20's?
I doubt it.

What is your craziest drunken moment/memory?
I think I'll plead the 5th on that one so I don't incriminate myself.

What is your all-time favorite movie?
I really liked all the Indiana Jones movies. I've seen them so many times they're not that good anymore.

What was your best ever year for growing crops?
There have been a few good years, I'm not sure which would be the best. I don't have a memory like some guys. I know this year will be right up there with the worst.

When was the last time you had a job where you had a boss?
1979. Working at DesLauriers and Hawks Chevrolet in Huron.

How often do you visit ryanglanzer.com?
Probably 5 or 6 times a week.

Thank you for joining us today. Any closing remarks? You'd better archive this one because I might not do another for a while. Also tell Jason he should reconsider riding in the trunk. If someone rear-ends you he might find it hard to get out of the trunk.