Horse Balls

As I am pretty sure I've mentioned, I live in a rural area. Though I grew up here, I am not exactly "of" here, if you get my drift. I am not really a country boy, but I'm not exactly a city boy, either. Basically, I am both, and therefore neither. Kind of funny how that goes, isn't it?

Living in these parts can be colorful sometimes. Whether it's passing a horse-drawn carriage on my way to work, or getting an eyeful of donkey-on-donkey action during my walk, there's usually something entertaining in this environment. And to me, the perfect store to epitomize the area is Nichols in DeQuincy.

I'll let you explore the Nichols website to get a better idea of what sort of thing this store carries. It is one of my favorite places to browse. I am not a hunter, but that's part of why I find it so fascinating. It is the kind of store that used to be prevalent, but is now a dying breed.

One of my favorite aspects of Nichols is their toy department. If I could, I would buy everything there. Why? Because it is loaded with the kind of stuff that you just don't see anymore, if you ever saw it in the first place. Want a bag of those solid plastic cowboys & Indians? Done! How about licensed Hannah Montana and Dora the Explorer fishing poles? Got 'em! Looking for action figures of rodeo cowboys and deer hunters? Yes, they have those, too!

They also have this:

"Hey kids! Want some Horse Balls?"

As it turns out, "Horse Balls" are rubber bouncing balls filled with sparkly bits and little plastic horses. Of course they are.

Yes, I am touching them.

Let's ask Undead Toy Horse for his opinion of Horse Balls!

"..."

I'm not sure what that means, but Undead Toy Horse is pretty unwavering in his views.

At any rate, expect to hear more about Nichols in the future. And maybe Horse Balls, too.