a top 5 tribute to napoleon, ohio

i'm back! and so is the top 5. having spent the first week of our trip back in napoleon, i am dedicating this to some of my favorite things about my favorite midwestern farm town!

1. yes, walmart. i cannot tell you how much i have missed this place! now before all you west-coasters start turning up your noses and saying eeewww, yuck... as if!, let me just tell you that walmart out here is not the same as walmart out there. the napoloen walmart is actually a very nice place - not remotely gross or scary. and stuff is stinkin' cheap!!!

2. bermuda shorts. okay, well these aren't exactly related in any way to napoleon, except for the fact that i purchased a pair of these while there at, you guessed it, walmart! i love them. they're not the same as the ones in the picture - different color scheme. let me tell you why bermuda shorts are so incredibly wonderful: YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE SUPER-SKINNY, FREAK OF NATURE, NO CELLULITE, NICE KNEES, SUPERMODEL LEGS TO LOOK GOOD IN THEM!!! these are decent shorts for normal people!

3. frosty boy. this is napoleon's seasonal road-side ice cream stand. they have regular food too, but i was only ever intersted in the ice cream. of course we visited "fb" while there and i had my usual soft serve twist. it was so exciting in the spring when frosty boy would finally open! after a long winter, it means there's hope!

4. clotheslines. i LOVE hanging laundry to dry. it is something i miss so much about life in napoleon, it almost makes me cry. seriously. i can't explain it, but i know it's a common sentiment among dedicated clothes hangers. there's something so peaceful and poetic about it. i feel a kinship with my feminine ancestors as i am hanging out my family's clothes to dry in the breeze. i want a clothesline!!!!

5. last but not least, napoleon, itself. i love this town. i love the old houses, the courthouse, the miles and miles of corn, wheat, and soybean fields. i love seeing real farmers driving real tractors doing real work. i think it's hilarious that there is a conspicuous absence of anything but american-made cars and how people plaster their back windows with sports logos and their children's names and jersey numbers, not to mention the signs they put in their front yards. life in napoleon is very different... but great. i miss it.

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rachel's continued ramblings

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