Going to bed with your thoughts in turmoil makes for a restless night, so I was up early the next morning.
I quickly gathered the eggs and fed the chickens.
Then milked the cow, and with two bottles of milk in my possession, it just took merging them to make cheese, nothing time consuming at all!
So I took a moment to feed the cow some chocolate, which I had been told could lead to chocolate milk!
I was a little skeptical about that, but stranger things were considered normal in Sim Land.
Like those gnomes nearby that made me a little nervous as they seemed to materialize anywhere they wanted to on our lot!
That bear was found in our laundry, and that graduation gnome was one either Bella or Catrice had found at Uni, I wasn't sure where the dog gnome had come from, but they always traveled in packs.
I hoped they wouldn't startle the cow and sour her milk or make the chickens stop laying eggs.
But with the bees to take care of and having to avoid stings, I stopped thinking about gnomes and concentrated on what I was doing.
I'd read that if the bees were happy and content I could skip the smoking procedure, which gave me higher quality honey.
But I was eager to experiment with this sweetener so I went inside to make myself some breakfast.
Unfortunately, even though it said I could add honey to fruits and vegetables, I didn't find a way to do so.
I guess either my cooking skill isn't high enough or I just haven't learned the right recipes yet, maybe both.
So I made up a batch of fruit parfait instead and it was the best fruit parfait I've ever made, even without honey!
Honestly, it was the only fruit parfait I had ever made, or eaten, so I didn't really have a frame of reference, but it tasted great just the same.
After my early breakfast, I decided to slow down my tempo just a bit, to see if Mom, Dad, and Jeffery's advice had any merit, and decided I'd see how other family members got through their day without being totally stressed and exhausted.
Since I'd seen Josh heading for the nectary earlier, I made that my destination.
Sure enough, Josh was painting, this time a close-up of an attractive blonde woman with glasses and ruby red lips.
I don't know how I missed it last night, but the first thing I noticed is the lack of light as this part of the basement didn't have a light fixture above it.
It didn't seem to bother Josh but I decided to help him out.
I grabbed one of the portable ceiling lights and moved it to the ceiling above him and the effect was so drastic, I shouted, "Let there be light!"
Josh didn't even miss a brushstroke but he did say, "Hey, thanks, that helps! I didn't realize it was so dark over here until it was lit up!"
I just shook my head thinking that artists were an odd bunch, not seeing the obvious when it was clear to everyone else.
But I was on a mission and didn't want to interrupt him longer than necessary, so I quickly asked, "How do you balance your painting with your new job at the school, and still find time for fun stuff, relaxing and socializing?"
Josh finished his painting, and as he stepped back to take it in, he said, "For one thing, painting is something I find fun and relaxing, so whether I'm working on my own art or teaching an art class, I'm always having fun and I'm socializing with my students, so that's a win-win. Now romantic socializing is a little trickier these days with me working days and Catrice nights, but we're figuring it out as we go. One step and one day at a time. I've been trying to take a little nap in the evening so I can spend time with her when she gets home from work."
I nodded, "That makes sense and it's similar to what Dad told me, about setting aside time for fun and relaxation so I didn't burn myself out. Luckily, I find gardening and cooking fun and relaxing, not quite as relaxing as fishing, so I'll need to work that into my schedule, at least a few times a week. And if I time it right, I can socialize with Dad, Grandpa, Catrice, or even Mom, as she's suddenly taken an interest in it too. And Grandpa did get me a sculpting station for graduation, but I haven't even taken the time to try it out yet!"
Josh, still critiquing his painting, nodded and said, "That sounds like a plan, making time for things besides chores. Running a farm isn't like painting or photography where you have to do it yourself. Remember that your family has extensive knowledge and experience in running this farm, so don't pass up help when it's offered and remember to delegate some of the basic chores."
"Now you sound just like my Mom!"
I could see a smile playing on Josh's lips even though he started working on another canvas, "I may not converse much when I'm painting, but that doesn't mean I'm not listening! Your Mom gave you some good advice, so it's worth repeating."
Reluctantly I agreed, saying, "That's why I'm here talking to you about balance, finding out how others make it work, instead of thinking I need to do everything myself, my way, and becoming overwhelmed."
Josh nodded again as he contemplated his next brushstroke on a fresh canvas, saying, "That's why I've been painting so much, to complete my lifetime wish and have that goal out of the way, so I can focus on my career and Catrice."
"That's what Jeffery said when he made me his 20th friend and completed his lifetime wish!"
"Jeffery's come a long way since Uni, found his focus with Bella and his Firefighter career, so it wouldn't hurt to see how he's managed to earn so many promotions in so short a time."
That sounded like a great idea and Jeffery agreed to let me shadow him at work today so I could see him in action.
As he worked he explained, "Having the fire alarm and truck in tip top condition goes a long way in gaining handiness experience and earning yourself promotions in your down time. After upgrading the fire alarm yesterday, I was promoted to Hose Handler, and just maintaining and starting on the fire truck upgrade I became a full-fledged member of the team, a Fireman!"
"Wow, you do earn promotions fast in this profession!"
Jeffery smirked and said, "It helps that I'm listening to handiness tab casts the whole time, doubling my handiness proficiency! But the ultimate objective is to get you to fires and emergencies quickly. The sooner you can contain the fire and rescue any sims in peril, the better the chances of saving property and lives! Well, that's what the firefighter handbook says, anyway, I haven't actually gone out on a call yet."
But those words had barely left his mouth when the fire alarm went off, blaring through the building with a piercing noise that left no doubt as to the seriousness of the event!
The driver of the truck had it outside revving in the street in minutes as Jeffery geared up and raced outside to jump on!
I followed as best as I could as the fire truck raced to the emergency, not a fire, but a disaster at the mausoleum!
As I tried to wrap my mind around what kind of disaster could happen at a cemetery, the truck had stopped and Jeffery was racing towards the building!
Jeffery had been briefed on the mission on the drive over, there was a cold storage vault in the basement of the building and several workers had been trapped inside!
Jeffery needed to get them out of the sub zero temps before they froze to death and the mausoleum became their permanent residence!
I watched in amazement as, not even hesitating for a moment, he strode bravely inside.
The rest of us waited outside with bated breath, until the all clear sounded and Jeffery came safely out of the building.
As he raced toward us, the confident grin on his face told us that he'd been successful at saving the trapped workers.
I was thoughtful on the ride back, realizing Jeffery had found the perfect profession for someone like him, doing something he loved so much that the adrenalin rush of fires and emergencies made him the perfect man for this job!
But Jeffery didn't let that first success go to his head.
When we returned to the station, he immediately began working on the fire engine upgrade again saying, "We did okay, saved those workers lives, but there's definitely room for improvement as our drive and mission time only gave us a 'B'. Upgrading this truck can improve our response time, and if I work on my athletic skill, that'll improve my mission time as well."
My take away from the whole experience was that when there were no fires or emergencies, Jeffery and his crew didn't just stand around, but worked on maintaining the equipment and their own skills, athletic and handiness, both of which improved their chances of averting disaster and losing loved sims in the process. They'd discovered the necessary balance to be successful in this profession.
A good example for me to follow as they didn't do that alone, but with everyone on their crew playing a crucial part!
I headed home and put my new found knowledge to work, asking Catrice if she'd tend the produce stand while I did some more planting.
Catrice was more than happy to help and said, "I'll just stand here and soak up the sun waiting on customers. But if you need fish for fertilizer or recipes don't hesitate to ask me to help, you know how much I love fishing!"
A load lifted off my shoulders at Catrice's heart felt offer and I just shook my head at my overly ambitious plans of running this farm all on my own.
Mom was right, and so were Jeffery and Dad, I couldn't do this myself, as it would only lead to disaster and me burning myself out, sooner rather than later!
Josh had been right too, I needed to use my family's knowledge and experience, their talents for fishing, gardening, and nectar-making, along with letting them help with the new expansions, to give me the time to focus on my recipes and cooking.
Catrice even chatted with that paparazzi, telling him all about our produce stand and my vision for farm-to-table meals.
With that article circulating around town, my dream would become a reality in no time!
I'd planned on telling Mom and Dad just how foolish I'd been, but Catrice told me they'd gone over to Mia's to see how she was doing, so I headed over there myself.
Dad was chatting with my cousin, Jessica Schmidt, asking her how she liked living with Mia and Anoki as she'd moved in to help them out with the expected new arrival.
While Mom, who'd already taken advantage of the pool, was chatting eagerly to Mia's tummy, saying, "I can't wait to feed you a bottle, precious one, and snuggle you close. Your Grandpa and I are just thrilled at having a nooboo in the family again!"
But Mia wasn't the only one expecting, as a commotion outside had us racing out to see what was going on.
Mia's smile was huge as she said, "Surprise! Meet Farley everyone, Fareshine and Ripley's new foal!"
Even as a newborn, only a few minutes old, Farley was fast and agile, though untrained, and was soon racing around the lot.
He looked very much like Sunshine, his grand dam, though he did sport the same white stocking on his left hind leg, just like his mother, Fareshine.
Mom decided to let Mia get acquainted with Farley and invited Dad to the pool for a swim.
I watched them swim around for awhile, just enjoying this simple, refreshing past time together, and said, "I need to apologize to both of you. I've been foolish. Being a young adult, being heir, doesn't mean I need to do everything myself. That being said, I hope the both of you will continue helping me out on the farm, in whatever you enjoy best. I'm not going to go all medieval and start ordering everyone around like you're serfs!"
Dad gave me a relieved look and said, "I don't mind continuing to look after the Red Berry Bean plot and I'm looking forward to consigning our next crop with your new produce stand, instead of driving into town. And helping out with the harvesting, of course. I've always done that in between fishing trips."
Mom added, "And I'd love to help with the chickens, especially when we have baby chicks, they're so soft and fluffy, and their peeps are just adorable! Maybe I could even learn to milk the cow and try my hand at harvesting honey. I've made plenty of nectar, Scott, I'm looking forward to doing some new things on the farm."
Spotting the new foal at the corner of the house Mom added, "In fact, I want to see if Farley will let me feed him a bottle. I need to get back into practice with a grandchild on the way!"
Mom got out of the pool slowly and approached Farley saying, softly, "Hey there, boy, want a bottle?"
And before we knew it, Mom was gently patting him, crooning baby nonsense while Farley eagerly sucked milk from the hugest baby bottle I'd ever seen!
It was at that moment that I knew we'd have to have another horse on the farm, maybe a cat and another dog too, to keep Kimo company, and pay tribute to all of the Swanson pets we'd had over the years.
That had me remembering Kimo's pups and asking, "Have you heard from Elise Pelly, Mom, about Max and Lady?"
Mom gave a sudden start and said, "With everything going on, I'd forgotten completely about them! How thoughtless of me. I'll say goodbye to Mia and head over there right now!"
I smiled and said, "You seem to have your hands full already! I'll go and check on them and see if Ms. Pelly is willing to part with them any time soon."
Mom echoed my own thoughts saying, "With the horses gone, Kimo has seemed a bit lonely. I've been trying to pay more attention to him and so has your Grandpa, but I don't think two-legged friends are the same as having four-legged companions!"
I headed over to the Pelly place and couldn't help smiling when I saw Kimo's pups.
Max was in the kitchen, the cutest pup I'd ever seen, looking at me with those melting puppy-dog eyes.
I'd never really understood that expression until I saw Max!
I found Lady in the living room with her mother, Belle, and was suddenly torn.
She was adorable too, so how on earth would I decide between them!?!
But Ms. Pelly told me she wasn't giving either one of them up until they were full grown, so I still had a few days to decide.
Wouldn't Kimo, not to mention Mom, be thrilled having one of them for our very own!?!
Back at the house, I found Josh painting on my old easel.
"Weren't you working on a painting in the basement this morning?"
"I was, but right after you left something important happened, so when it was finished I left it there, as a reminder."
"Something important? Was it a masterpiece?"
"No. But it was the painting I was working on when I maxed the skill and completed my lifetime want, so it's pretty special to me! Besides that, I really like it, though I'm not sure why, it just makes me feel good."
I had to go to the basement to take a look at this special painting.
One because I was curious, but also because I wanted to get a photo of it for my journal, especially since I'd missed Josh's big moment.
The painting wasn't large but it did have a special quality about it, as it portrayed a young fairy girl with a wand, sitting quietly as a butterfly hovered nearby.
Josh had painted it in tones of gold and just looking at it made me feel a sense of peace, like I was actually peeking into this child-like creature's world, one of beauty and innocence.
Josh certainly was talented, and I couldn't imagine being able to put so much feeling into a painting, having it seem so real.
I'm glad I took the time to view it, to experience all the emotion Josh had put into it, captured, and reflected back to me.
And though my photo of it doesn't do it justice, it will be preserved for generations to come, safe in my journal.
I headed back into the house to tell Josh what an amazing painting it was but he was napping so he'd be awake to spend time with Catrice when she got home from the theater later tonight.
So I decided to work on my cooking skill, preparing spaghetti with veggie sauce, Mom's favorite, for dinner.
After enjoying a plate, to make sure it was edible before I presented it to Mom, I went out to the pond and threw in a line, enjoying the evening, just me and the fish.
When my phone rang, I was expecting it to be Dequan, or maybe Keri, but it was Bella.
She'd sent me this photo and text!
Don't tell Mom and Dad, but Mia's having a girl!
Today had been a much better day, productive, but not stressful and exhausting, and I'd learned a lot from spending time with Jeffery and Josh, and even got in a little fishing.
Mom and Dad were on board with my plans for the future, willing to help me out with my expansions and provide support to keep the farm running smoothly, now that I'd admitted I couldn't do it all on my own.
And somehow, knowing I was having a niece, made Mia's baby seem much more real!
Just think, Mia and Anoki will be parents soon, and I'll be an Uncle, now that's a pretty big event to look forward too!
