Day 1
And so it begins…again. With the snow and ice having magically melted overnight, I really wanted to get stuck into farming today, but unfortunately, nowhere was open due to the New Year’s Festival. I did try to attend the Festival, but after I spent two hours hanging around waiting for others to turn up, I got bored and went off to collect flowers from Mother’s Hill (this season I can start giving Popuri free Trick Flowers and Moondrop Flowers) before whiling away some time in the mine (the winter mine is closed now, but I will always have a feeling of fondness for the spring mine). It was only after I went to bed that I realised that the festival was in the evening, and thus I had missed it. Oh well, who needs to make friends at festivals when I can win them over with endless gifts picked up off the ground?
I also took three fish out of the refrigerator and added them to the fish pond. I have no idea how they survived or how to get them out again, but every avenue of farming must be explored in the name of profit.
Day 2
As if to herald the new season in earnest, it was raining today. As soon as I got outside, I was accosted by Barley, who wanted his Hana to meet my Potato (the very event I had speculated about)- Potato is now at the ranch, but I am unsure as to whether I should pick him up and bring him home, or just leave him at Barley’s so that nature can run its course and puppies can be produced. For now, I have left him there, in the hopes that the situation will resolve itself.
I am slowly evolving a new routine for Spring- after doing the animals (and later watering the crops), I must head up Mother’s Hill for foraging and flower collection. Any tasks requiring me to go into town should be handled in the early afternoon, before returning for more foraging, mining and fishing, with perhaps a spot of lumber gathering too. Somehow I must also fit in cooking as well.
Speaking of crops, I have purchased and planted six bags of Cabbage Seeds from Won. Once the supermarket opens tomorrow, I can invest in the rest of the spring planting.
Day 3
What a hectic day! After completing my usual morning tasks, I went into town to stock up on seeds, and ended up investing in some flour for cooking, twelve bags of Potato Seeds, four bags of Cucumber Seeds, one bag of Turnip Seeds and nine bags of Grass Seeds (to my surprise, the grass from last year is still thriving). By the time I had planted and watered all except eight of the potato bags (with a couple of hot spring breaks to prevent me from collapsing with exhaustion, it was 3am! Needless to say, there was thus no time for fishing, mining or flower gathering- I only hope Popuri can forgive me for the lack of attention I showed her today.
I also got Saibara started on the Mayo Maker today; I hope it is worth the cost.
Day 4
It was raining again today, which at least enabled me to get away without watering the crops. Instead, once the usual tasks were complete, I went into town to see Potato, stock up on fish food, and buy a rice ball for cooking. I have decided that the time has come for me to get experimental in the kitchen- for example, this morning I was able to whip up some noodles from a simple bag of flour.
Come afternoon, I turned my attention to gathering flowers for Popuri before heading over to Mother’s Lake for a spot of fishing. Unfortunately, the fish evaded me, and I was only able to ensnare a branch.
Day 5
The rain continues to fall steadily, prompting me to wonder if it was really this bad last year. At least it saves me from the rather daunting task of watering all those crops, but it also discourages me from doing any real work. In fact, I spent most of the day pottering around Mother’s Hill, foraging, picking up flowers and trying my hand at some more fishing. At least today I managed to catch three small fish, but it seems my hopes of becoming a legendary fisherman are slim at best.
As per my continuing interest in cooking, today I cooked a bamboo shoot with some rice to create a delicious Bamboo Rice dish. I have heard that there is a cooking program on TV which seems worth checking out, but in the meantime I must examine the effects of combining bread and butter.
Day 6
Ah, how the memories of the old days have come flooding back as I tirelessly water endless plots of crops for hours on end. Nonetheless, I cannot say I’m not pleased to see them all happily sprouting, even if it means I must rush around for the rest of the day. Today was largely spent pursuing the new crops-animals-flowers-mining regime, but at lunchtime I made sure to go to the inn and order a seasoning set I saw advertised on TV shopping. This is just the thing I need to take my cooking to the next level.
Whilst I was out today, I happened to notice Lillia encouraging Karen to get married to Rick. Karen, how could you choose any man other than me? Even though I already have Popuri, I would gladly marry you too.
Day 7
Honestly, I thought I was never going to get rid of Barley this morning. First he came to take the now magically mature Seiran home, but luckily the loyal horse loved me enough to want to stay. Now I can ride him around the farm, although regrettably he refuses to leave its confines, and often wanders off once I dismount. Anyway, once that was dealt with I was about to get on with my normal duties, only for May to appear with Barley in tow. Apparently, a bored May wanted to help out on the farm, and while I was more than happy to get her to do the watering, Barley insisted that she stop bothering me. In an attempt to find someone to mind her (not that it’s really any of my business), I took her to the church so that Carter could look after her, and fortunately she found a playmate in the form of young Stu.
With the villagers finally appeased, I finally got back to my tasks; with the turnips having matured, I was able to store them in the refrigerator for my future culinary experiments. Some of the grass was also ready for cutting, an activity that took up so much time and stamina that I was barely able to complete the basic tasks, and had no time for mining or fish. Worse yet, tomorrow is the Goddess Festival, and so I will have even less time to work.
Day 8
This morning I got up to find that Popuri had unexpectedly left the house- not only that, but when I got outside, she had changed into clothes I never knew she had! Despite her eagerness to go to the Goddess Festival, I asked her to wait until I had completed the basic chores, after which we attended and I got to see all five of the girls dance. Naturally, this only reinforced my desire to marry all of them, but given Carter’s strict views on monogamy, I can’t see him performing any more weddings for me.
After the festival was over, I sorely wanted to get home and go foraging, but Popuri insisted that we head to the beach. I could have refused, but I love the way her face lights up when I treat to her something, so I let her have her way. Unfortunately, this meant that by the time we got home, I had no choice but to go straight to bed.
I must also note that I caught The Delicious Hour first thing this morning, which explained how to make hot milk by heating up milk in a pot- ingenious! In less edifying news, I left my horse outside last night, and now the damned thing has wandered off. It will take as much time to find it as it would save time to ride it.
Day 9
As soon as I got up this morning, I made a special effort to locate my horse, only to find it grazing on the opposite side of the farm to where I had left it. From now, I will take it back to its stable every evening, for I cannot risk either losing it or having it eat the grass that I am growing for the cows and sheep.
After completing the usual tasks, I decided to take a mid morning break in order to create some hot milk- luckily, not only was the recipe successful, but my taste tester Popuri declared it to be a most delicious dish. Afterwards, Zack turned up with my seasoning set, before I headed over to Saibara’s to pick up the finished Mayo Maker. I hope the mayonnaise trade is a brisk one, for compared to the near limitless assets I had in the autumn, I am now down to a mere 17,000 or so G. With such financial concerns at the forefront of my mind, I also made sure to do a spot of mining this evening, for a steady cash flow is one of my foremost concerns.
Day 10
Another busy day on the farm today; just completing the basic tasks took all morning, after which I went to the supermarket to buy a loaf of bread. Once back in my kitchen, I used the bread and my stored butter to create a Dinner Roll, but when I went to put it in the fridge Popuri intercepted me and ate it for herself! I suppose I should at least be happy that she enjoyed my culinary creation.
Unfortunately, I have also discovered the dangers of becoming too used to routine today, for I automatically shipped eight out of my ten eggs instead of placing them in the Mayo Maker- a costly mistake that I must not make again.
I also tried to liven up my day by carrying a snake down from Mother’s Hill, but when I realised I could not do anything with it, I simply let it go again.
Day 11
The first crop of potatoes was ready this morning, and so my morning was spent harvesting them, although in my excitement I accidentally smashed one on the ground- why does this always happen? With that over with, I was able to get back to the usual tasks, but with some exceptions- from now on, all eggs are to be turned into mayonnaise, and honey will be stored in the fridge for cooking purposes. I have also noticed that some of the sheep have begun giving me medium wool, so once I have saved up another 20,000G, I may invest in a Yarn Maker.
Since it was raining today, I decided to forego the evening mining in favour of fishing, but unfortunately I was only able to catch a fish skeleton. Fishing is so difficult and unrewarding.
Day 12
My first crop of cucumbers was ready today- I made sure to put aside three to make an offering to the mystical Kappa, but all the others must be shipped in the hopes that my success will encourage the supermarket to stock the rare Strawberry crop. I also took an egg back to the house in order to make a boiled egg for Popuri- thanks to the new seasoning set, I was able to add enough salt to make it delicious.
I have also realised that I have not visited my dog in days, and so guilt propelled me to Barley’s house to remind him that I am still his owner. Whilst out, I also popped into Saibara’s to order a Cheese Maker- it has cost me another 20,000G, but I anticipate a profitable future. Cheese should also come in handy in future cooking ventures.
This evening, I tried my hand at fishing once more, but I have been singularly unlucky this season, and worse yet, I spent so long fishing that I got home late and had to leave my horse outside in the rain. At least the fish in the pond seem to have started breeding- their numbers are now up to seven.
Day 13
Perhaps I am prematurely getting old, but I seem to be very clumsy lately- I constantly drop eggs when trying to put them in the Mayonnaise Maker, and today I spilled some honey whilst trying to carry it indoors. At least the mayonnaise I manage to safely transport to the shipping bin is proving profitable, and thus a vital commodity in these expensive times. I only hope the Cheese Maker can transform my dairy in a similar way.
Today I made sure to go and see Potato as soon I had finished watering the crops; I cannot have the poor dog losing faith in me. Afterwards, I went to the Inn to place a TV Shopping order for a Power Berry- apparently TV Shopping will be closing down after this as I was its only customer. I also popped into the supermarket to buy curry powder and rice for my first attempt at curry- it went well, but once again Popuri decided to eat it as I took it to the fridge. I had decided not to offer it to her since I thought that it would be too spicy for her palate, but she seemed to enjoy it (either that or she was just being polite).
Although the lack of rain meant I felt strong enough to try mining today, I made sure to go home earlier to make up for last night- I hate the idea of Popuri waiting in the house alone for my return.
Day 14
Today I wanted to search for the mysterious Kappa, but unfortunately it was raining, and despite being a water sprite, I have heard he only reveals himself on sunny days. Instead, I attended to the usual tasks, along with cutting down some grass to make some more fodder for the ever-hungry sheep and cows. To give you an idea of how crowded it is in the barn now, I must reveal that sometimes three or four cows end up fused together on one spot, whilst attempts to get them all fed, milked and sheared have resulted in trying to milk a sheep or shear a cow. Perhaps it would be kinder to let them out, but I balk at the idea of having to round them all up again.
In the evening, I chopped lumber for the first time in a while, before trying to fish yet again. My fishing was entirely unsuccessful for the third time in a row- what am I doing wrong?
Day 15
I am halfway through spring now, and yet it feels as if the season has barely begun. My cabbages aren’t ready yet, my dog is still with Barley and during my enthusiastic cutting of grass yesterday, I accidentally chopped down three Cucumber plants! Nonetheless, despite these problems, I must press on, and so it was that I went about my normal tasks and attempted to visit Potato (it was only after I arrived that I realised the farm is closed on Mondays- why can’t Barley at least let me in to see my own dog?) before heading out to Mother’s Lake in an attempt to find the legendary Kappa. After tossing three cucumbers into the lake, he gave me a special Power Berry to make me go away- local legend has it that this berry will give me the power to work as hard in rain and snow as in fine weather.
Once this was over, I decided to spend a quiet afternoon fishing in the hopes that the good weather would encourage more fish to the surface, but unfortunately, I was only able to hook another small fry- perhaps I should head to the church confessional again in order to move beyond my littering days and into a fish-rich future. Anyway, in a desperate bid to scrape some measure of success out of the evening, I headed into the ever faithful mine and exhausted myself digging for ores. Afterwards, I planned to take a quick dip in the hot springs before going straight to bed, but once I got home I realised that my horse had been left outside, and was probably grazing miserably in a corner somewhere. After locating him, I gave him a quick brush and took him back to the warm stable; hopefully this will restore his faith in me.
I must also mention how I have been regularly awakened by visitors over this past week or so- Won has once again tried to sell me his SUGDW Apple and useless vase, whilst the mayor asked me to deliver him corn for the cooking festival. Since I do not have a hothouse, I cannot even grow corn in the spring, but I agreed to bring him some anyway in the hopes of currying favour.
In cooking news, today I pickled some Turnips; I offered the completed dish to Popuri, but she didn’t seem to like it. At least I now know that she wasn’t just being polite about the curry.
