Harvest Moon Anton’s Diary: Year 2 Spring Part II

Day 16
Now that Barley’s dog is pregnant, he has brought Potato back to me; I’d like to say I missed him, but that would be lying.

The cabbages were ready today, but unfortunately, since a new batch would take 15 days to grow, there is no longer time to grow another batch- I will have to wait for next year. The watering will at least be less time intensive now, but I realise that I won’t be able to ship enough cabbages to make the supermarket want to stock Strawberry seeds. Ah well, maybe next year.

The rest of the day was spent attending to the usual tasks, as well as tiring myself out with a spot of mining. I must not forget my absolute dedication to making a profit.

Day 17
This morning the Mayor came over; I was worried he was going to ask abut the absent corn, but instead he wanted to know if I was entering my horse in the annual horse race. When I told him that he would enter, he took Seiran away- how dare he? Not only do I need my horse in order to traverse the farm, but he wouldn’t even go away with Barley- why would he trust the mayor?

In other news, Popuri seems to be feeling a little strange today, and so I told her I would go to the clinic and book an appointment, but when I got there, the damned place was closed! How can the town’s only clinic have a day off- don’t people ever get sick on a Wednesday?

Anyway, since I was in town already, I decided to go to Saibara’s and check on the progress of my Cheese Maker. Luckily, my new piece of kit was ready, and so I set Saibara to work on the Yarn Maker. After that, the only major purchase remaining is the Hothouse, but I am a little scared to invest lest a blizzard blow it away. Perhaps some kindly god will manipulate the weather for me.

My TV Shopping Power Berry was delivered today- after the energy boost it gave me I decided to try fishing off the bridge halfway up Mother’s Hill. Although it was not terribly successful, at least I caught one small fish. Unfortunately, cooking was even less successful, for my attempt to create a plate of curry noodles resulted in a food fiasco. I put the blackened mess at the back of the fridge; hopefully Popuri will not notice it.

Day 18
Since it was the Horse Race today, I tried to complete as many chores as I could before having to go and enter the races, but unfortunately, much of my time was taken up with harvesting potatoes and cucumbers. Once I finally departed, I was able to watch two of the races before having to participate myself, but unfortunately Seiran was not well trained enough to manage better than fourth place (out of six). Not only was this disappointing, but it took a huge chunk out of my day, forcing me to work late just to get the regular farming tasks done. At least I was able to try out the Cheese Maker for the first time.

Day 19
This morning I busied myself with the usual tasks before cutting down some more grass to stock up on another ten days’ worth of fodder- that’s 2000G I won’t need to spend at Barley’s.

As the morning rolled on, I went to the clinic to ask about Popuri, only to see that she was already there. According the doctor, she is pregnant, which is rather amazing, given that we sleep in different beds and I often get home after she has gone to sleep. Nonetheless, to celebrate this turn of events, I cooked my first successful bowl of Curry Noodles for Popuri before getting back to the farm chores. If I am going to have support both a wife and child, I will need plenty of money in the bank.

Day 20
I have still not come to terms with the fact that I am going to be a father, and so it occupies my thoughts as I toil away in the fields. With far few plants to water, I now have much more time for other pursuits, and so I spent a good portion of the day gathering flowers, mining and even chopping lumber. I now know that I must leave a top notch farm to my child, for they too must suffer the farming life that I have been thrust into.

Day 21
I had only just got up today when the Mayor called round to remind me about the cooking competition- I thought he might ask me where his corn was, but fortunately he seems to have forgotten about that. Upon realising that I too can enter the competition, I decided to nip down to the supermarket to pick up some ingredients, only to get there and realise that they are closed on Sundays. In disappointment, I looked through the fridge for possibilities, but it seems the only thing I can do is take along some old noodles or bamboo rice. Oh well, I may as well give it a shot.

The other farms went relatively smoothly today, and I am pleased to note that most of my cows are now producing enough milk to fill a large container every day. Unfortunately, both cows and sheep do make an occasional bid for freedom when I open the barn doors, forcing me to push them back in.

Day 22
Since it was the cooking festival today, I did my best to get all the farm tasks out of the way first thing in the morning, and whilst I was successful, some precious time was wasted pushing errant sheep back into the barn. Once everything was complete, I got the Bamboo Rice out of the fridge and headed for the festival, as presided over by the mayor and the oddly fishlike Gourmet Judge. As I had expected, my simplistic dish of Bamboo Rice was no match for the professional cooking of innkeeper Doug, but maybe if I had had access to the supermarket yesterday, things would have been different.

After chatting to everyone at the festival, I felt too tired to do much in the evening, and so after I gathered some flowers for Popuri I went straight to bed.

Day 23
It was raining today, but now that I have the power bestowed upon me by Kappa, I have no need to fear such minor changes in the weather. Instead, I efficiently completed my farming tasks before heading into town to pick up the new Yarn Maker- I also went on to the supermarket in the hopes of finally getting some ingredients, but sadly they are closed on Tuesdays as well. My only hope is that cooking can get back on track tomorrow.

For the rest of the day, I used my newfound strength to indulge in extensive mining, gathering and fishing. Unlike the other day, when I only managed to catch a branch, I was at least able to obtain two small fish today (for me, this is as close to success as it gets). I have left them in my rucksack overnight, but I know they will be magically fine when I put them in the pond tomorrow morning.

Day 24
Since it was raining again today, I felt little will to do anything too strenuous, and so the bulk of the morning was spent harvesting a crop of cucumbers and attending to the usual tasks. At lunch time, I headed down to the supermarket in order to finally pick up some ingredients, before returning home to cook up a storm in the kitchen. Unfortunately, whilst my Tempura and Fried Noodles went well, my attempt at Tempura Noodles resulted in another food fiasco to be hastily shoved at the back of the fridge.

With my culinary needs satisfied for the time being, I decided to while away the afternoon with a spot of fishing at Mother’s Lake. I think that my luck in the fishing department is finally returning, as I was able to catch one small fish and one medium. This brings the number of fish in my pond to 12.

Day 25
The rain continued today, and once again I did not feel like particularly exerting myself. Instead, I harvested the last Potato crop of the season (making sure to store some for cooking), finished off the daily chores, and nipped down to the supermarket to buy some flour for my latest cooking experiment. Unfortunately, my attempt to make cookies for Popuri went terribly wrong, and I created yet another Food Fiasco- how embarrassing. The evening was once again spent fishing, and I was able to add one more small fish to my pond- despite the limited size of said pond, there seems to be no limit to the amount of fish I can pack in.

On another note, I must admit that married life with Popuri, while not unpleasant, is perhaps not as exciting as one might hope. No matter how much I talk to her, she only ever says about three different things to me, and nor does she seem inclined to take any sort of interest in my work. What’s the point of having a wife if she won’t even help out on the farm?

Day 26
Today was one of those days that seemed to go on forever, even though I didn’t really feel inclined to do a great deal. Once the daily tasks were attended to, I headed over the Barley’s to check on the status of Hana, and discovered that she had produced two puppies. Unfortunately, Barley only wants to keep one, and as he seemed disinclined to let me have the other, I was left to ask around the village and see if anyone wanted one. I did try to complete this task, but everyone I spoke to only said the same old phrases that they always say, and I couldn’t seem to find any opportunity to even broach the subject. Oh well, perhaps the problem will resolve itself somehow.

During the afternoon, I did not feel up to much, and so I went fishing once again. Aside from two branches, I only managed to pick up one small fish, but it will be duly added to the pond.

I must also note a couple of other firsts today- not only did I actually spend money on some Apple Pie at the inn (the Mayonnaise and Cheese businesses are so lucrative that I finally have some disposable income), but I also visited a strange little hut at the back of the church. Seven small Harvest Sprites live there, but it is clear I must win their friendship if I want them to work for me.

Day 27
As soon as I got up this morning, Barley came over to ask if I had found an owner for the puppy yet- if he’s so concerned, why doesn’t he do it? In any case, once I had finished the increasingly tedious daily tasks, I went over to his house to see if I could pick up the puppy and show it to prospective owners- I was unable to do so for some reason, but Harris happened to be visiting, so I convinced him to take it.

With the supermarket closed, I decided to spend the afternoon fishing by the hot springs- I only caught one small fish, but at least it whiled away a few hours. Afterwards, I didn’t really feel like doing anything strenuous, so after picking the usual daily flowers for Popuri, I went to bed. Roll on summer.

Day 28
Today I resolved from the get-go not to do anything much, and so after the essential tasks were completed, I simply pottered around the fields chopping down weeds (I made sure to put my horse away first so that he didn’t accidentally get hurt). Afterwards, I made a half-hearted attempt at fishing in the river that runs through the back of my farm before heading to the hotsprings for a relaxing soak. I know there is much more I can and should be doing, but for now it all seems like too much effort- I need the longer summer days to get me motivated again.

Day 29
I cannot tell you how much I am beginning to dread even going into the barn these days- it is such a mess of cows and sheep that sometimes I get trapped in there for ages trying to push my way past them. Aside from this annoying issue, life continued much as normal, although once again I did not feel inclined to work hard. Instead, I went up to collect flowers earlier than usual, only to run into some other villagers up there. Although Popuri must not know, I could not help but give two spare flowers to Mary, for a part of me still wants to charm the other girls even if they can never become my wife.

In the afternoon, I whiled away a few hours unsuccessfully fishing, before heading home for an early night. If I am an attentive husband, Popuri will never suspect that I have a roving eye.

Day 30
The last day of the season has finally rolled around, and with it I can slowly feel my enthusiasm returning. This morning I harvested the last cucumbers of the season, before cutting down the plants so that I can get stuck into the summer planting straightaway. After shipping the bulk of them, I made sure to keep five back in order to test the rumour that the Harvest Goddess appears to those who make an offering to her. To my surprise, when I did just that by tossing the cucumbers into the waterfall, she did indeed appear to me, and she even gave me a strength restoring Power Berry. I can see that even after all these months in this place there are still inexplicable mysteries that surround it.

With that done, I decided to head into town for the afternoon, and after picking up some Pineapple and Pink Cat seeds from Won, I realised it would be a good time to confess and have a clean slate for the new season. Unfortunately, Carter seem disinclined to unlock the confessional, and after suspiciously hanging around for a while, I decided it was best to go home and see to the animals- after all, they are the reason I am now pulling in some 9000G per day.

I should also note that Kai returned to town this morning- once I thought of him as a detestable love rival, but now that I have won Popuri, I can consider him a friend.