Day 16
Tony has magically grown a little bit today, and has now started crawling, enabling me to finally talk to and interact with him. This means I can finally give him gifts, and so I have started with Wild Grapes, which he seems to like- bringing his love for me up to two hearts.
Once outside, I set to work harvesting the latest batch of ripe Pineapples and half of the cabbages (the others are lagging behind)- I have placed the cabbages in the fridge as I will no doubt need some for cooking. Afterwards, I headed over to the supermarket to buy two bags of cucumber seeds and four bags of potato seeds for planting- hopefully they will produce a reasonable amount of crops before the end of the season. Of course, I stopped in to chat with the girls on the way, and to my delight, Mary was won over to red heart level by my gifts! Three girls down, two to go.
I must also note that the other day Won came over to sell me a SUGDW apple, and out of curiosity, I finally bought it- only to discover that it looks the same as a normal apple! Damn that swindling conman…
Day 17
Since the horse race draws near again, the Mayor arrived this morning to take Seiran away- I hope we can make a good showing this year, for this time around we have had plenty of training.
Thanks to the rain, it didn’t take a great deal of time to finish all the farming tasks, enabling me to switch to the Ann phase of Operation Secret Affair. I had intended to give her grilled fish, but after my first attempt to grill a large fish ended in a food fiasco, I decided to just begin by giving her dishes that I already cooked. Even though she has grown up eating Doug’s home cooking, she seemed very appreciative of the dishes I gave her, and so hopefully the way to her heart shall be through her stomach.
Day 18
With the Horse Race imminent, I decided to work hard and get everything done beforehand, but as always that meant that something had to go wrong, with a sheep surging out of the barn once the animals were done. Nonetheless, I was able to get everything done by 10:10am, and although I was a little late to the Horse Race, no one seemed to mind.
As usual, I was set to run in the third race, and thinking that I would get paid something if I won, I chose not to bet on any of the races, instead admiring the different colour horses from unknown other farms (why did I only have the choice of a basic brown horse?). Anyway, once my time to race came, I was able to keep Seiran at the head of the pack, and although it was only by a narrow margin, I was able to snatch victory. Unfortunately, all I got as a reward was a commemorative photograph, but I am sure the villagers respect me more now.
Day 19
After completing the usual farm tasks, this morning I had intended to woo Ann with some spa-boiled eggs, but as sometimes happens, those damned chickens had taken a day off again. Instead, I was forced to whip up eight bowls of Mushroom Rice for her, although fortunately I had prepared for this eventuality by purchasing rice balls the other day. I have since restocked with rice balls at the supermarket, even though buying them one by one is a painful and tedious task.
As per usual, the afternoon was spent foraging before I went back to the pasture to cut down just enough grass to maximise the fodder in my silo. The importance of foraging cannot be stressed enough, as the wild grapes I picked up last autumn have been vital in increasing Tony’s love for me from a measly one heart to a solid six. Unfortunately, I am now running love on grapes, so I must find something else he likes.
Day 20
Today I tried Tony with honey and apples- like his mother, he has a sweet tooth and loves honey, but is slightly less enamoured with apples- even so, his love for me has gone up to seven hearts.
After completing the usual tasks today, I spa-boiled eight of my eggs and took them over to Ann, a gift that propelled her love for me into the yellow heart region. How easily everyone in this village is won over by material gifts, but then it is the same everywhere.
Day 21
The Mayor came over first thing this morning to remind me about the cooking festival- I thought he would pick up his cucumbers at the same time, but instead he left without them, forcing me to trek into town in the pouring rain to deliver them. Naturally, I also took the opportunity to look in on the girls and give Ann some more spa-boiled eggs, as well as stopping at Chicken Lil’s to buy some more chicken feed.
In between all this, I would have liked to have get out of the rain, but unfortunately I had to spend most of the day harvesting the latest crop of strawberries. By that time, I was so drenched that I decided to forego foraging and instead cook up something for tomorrow’s festival. In the end, I settled on an apple pie, which I was able to create successfully. I hope it is enough to impress the Gourmet Judge.
Day 22
With the Cooking Festival set to begin at 10am, I was forced to hurriedly complete all the farming tasks first thing in the morning, including harvesting the latest bunch of Pineapples and a lagging patch of Strawberries which have been stored in the fridge. By 10:30am, my apple pie and I were ready to set out, and so we made our way to Rose Square to enter the contest and size up the competition. Apart from the inevitable food fiasco created by Karen, everyone seemed to have come up with a worthy dish, but I was quietly confident…at least until the Gourmet Judge once again had a rather mediocre reaction to my hard work and handed the prize over to Anna for her delicious dessert. After that disappointment, all I could bring myself to do was go straight to bed after the festival ended.
I should also note that Doug is as perceptive as ever, for he was claiming he was the only male entrant even though I tried to tell him I had brought an apple pie and would be entering too. What am I, chopped liver?
Day 23
The potatoes were ready today, and since I wanted to carry them all into the house rather than just ship them, I ended up spending all morning working in the fields. By mid-afternoon, I was finally ready to head into town, and so I spa-boiled some eggs for Ann (although unfortunately I accidentally threw one egg away) before setting out. Whilst at the inn, I picked up four more bags of Pineapple seeds from Won in preparation for the summer, whilst on the way back home I nipped into the supermarket to buy five bags of corn seeds, one bag each of tomato and pumpkin seeds and two bags of onion seeds. I may actually attend the swimming contest this year, and I don’t want to be rushing around at the beginning of summer trying to get everything bought.
Day 24
Now that the potatoes are gone, the watering is somewhat reduced, and so I was able to finish the basic farm tasks in time to catch Ann at the hot springs and have a chat in the fresh air whilst giving her some spa-boiled eggs. The change of scenery must have done our relationship some good, as I was able to nudge her affections in the orange heart zone- just one more level of affection to go.
In the afternoon, I spent time out in the fields cutting grass to replenish the silo’s stock of fodder before heading out to do my first foraging in a few days. I also made sure to give Tony a comb of sticky honey- his affection for me is already at nine hearts, and soon he will be utterly devoted to his father.
Day 25
Although I gave Tony plenty of apples and even some honey today, he refuses to increase his affections to that elusive ten heart level- clearly like any child he craves even more gifts and sweets than I can afford to give him.
Since it was raining today, I was able to use the time normally spent on watering to harvest some freshly ripened cucumbers and of course nip into town to give Ann some more spa-boiled eggs and drop in on the other girls. To my utter surprise, I am now allowed in the back room at the supermarket, and so I was able to see Karen, Sasha and Jeff’s living room for the first time. It is a touch on the small side, but this will let me meet up with Karen a lot more often- surely vital for winning her heart and completing the set of devoted girls.
After lunch, I really should have spent the afternoon foraging, but with the rain showing no signs of letting up, I decided to just go to bed and hope for better weather tomorrow.
Day 26
Tony has finally reached ten hearts of love for his daddy, and so I can rest assured that when and if he grows up, he willingly take over the farm, enabling me to enjoy a restful retirement. In other news, I went back to Karen’s living area today; not only does she own a cat named Gauguin, but she even has a frying pan from TV shopping! When did my life become so monotonous that such small and inconsequential details actually starting seeming interesting?
Although I am once again feeling the end of season lack of energy, I dragged myself out to do some foraging this afternoon, but with the prospect of ascending Mother’s Hill to pick flowers seeming like too much hard work, I went straight to bed afterwards.
Day 27
I spent an exhausting day in the fields today- the latest harvest of strawberries was ready, and so I had to gather them and then cut down all but the lagging patch as there will not be time for them to produce any more crops before the end of the season. At least this means watering will be easier for the next few days, as I only have one patch of strawberries and the cucumbers to worry about in the outside field.
Day 28
Summer may be just around the corner, but you wouldn’t know it from the way the rain was coming down this morning. Nonetheless, I decided to work in the fields for the bulk of the day, harvesting and cutting down the last patch of strawberries, and picking the Toy Flowers to take indoors before they wilt. The cucumbers now look quite lonely, but whilst I suspect they will not ripen again until the end of the season, I must leave them for now.
In the afternoon, I once again ignored the rain to go foraging, but for some reason I just didn’t feel motivated to go into town. I hope the girls will not think less of me for leaving them to their own devices for a couple of days.
Day 29
The last couple of days have seen a healthy yield of Pineapples grace the hothouse, and so it is that I have finally been able to amass over one million G. With this fortune, I must surely be by far the richest man in Mineral Town, but although I would love to buy the entire town and perhaps even beyond it, such things seem to be beyond my ability.
Having sadly neglected the girls for the last couple of days, I made sure to go down and see them this lunchtime, making sure of course to give Ann plenty of spa-boiled eggs. I had hoped that I could get her up to red heart level before the end of the season, but she remains steadfastly on orange heart.
Day 30
Spring has finally come to an end, and so it was with great regret today that I had to cut down my cucumber plants, knowing that if they had just had one more day I could have wrung another harvest out of them. Fortunately, as if to ease my pain, today I was able to catch Ann at the hot spring and give her enough spa-boiled eggs to tip her affections into the red heart zone. Now only Karen remains to fall prey to my charms, and so I must resolve to win her heart as well.
Back at home, I have started giving Tony honey every day- he seems to like the sweet taste. I only hope that too much of it will not make fat, ill or somehow turn him into a giant bee.
In other news, I should mention that Chef, the Harvest Sprite that I accidentally offended last year when he thought I was giving him a weed, seems to have forgiven despite my lack of recent contact with the Harvest Sprites. I sometimes feel tempted to hire them out again, but really I can do all the work much more efficiently on my own.
