I don't always remember to water the plants, let alone weed them. If I'm honest with myself I'd much rather be in the basement experimenting with great grandfathers work bench. Which is why I'm reading so many diy books at the library. I've already come to the conclusion that gardening is a nice hobby for those who like it, but it's really not something I'm into. It's hot out this summer. Mrs. Peoples told me their ac broke down which is why she brought their daughter out so late. I stuck around for the homework help. Honest I'm not a risk taker, but it was hot and I was very careful to stay close to shore. Summer holiday would have been better if there was a lifeguard around. The ocean water felt deliciously cool after spending half my morning scavenging. I know several different types of gem cuts, but the market is always paying top dollar for the heart cut gems. Who am I to argue with the market, if people would rather pay five or six thousand for a heart cut stone rather than a marquis or plumbob cut for a lesser amount. I cut my donation gems into the less valuable cuts, just to remind people that there are other styles available. The big summer excitement was the arrival and building of a movie theater. The owners also lease out the stage space to bands, very exciting. They also made some of the concession items available for folks walking by. In this heat a cherry snow cone is very tempting. The theater's arrival got me thinking about how it might be a good idea to own or invest in a business myself for a more stable income besides what I earn from my part time job and scavenging. The downside of renovating my home is the tax assessor upped my bills. Tara is always fun to do homework with. She's got a serious rebellious streak, so sometimes we end up laughing until we cry at made up answers to the questions on our work. I think of her and Colm as my best friends but haven't worked up the nerve to ask her to be my bff. Colm and Lydell however both overcame their nervousness and have asked me to junior prom. Getting Friday off for the dance won't be a problem, but how do I pick who to go with. They are both good friends and I don't want to hurt either of them. I'm eccentric, not evil. After school I hung out by the fishing pond. I just couldn't think. I was sorely tempted to ditch work and prom to go gem hunting. Then I spotted Mrs. Stone. I asked her if we could fish together. No I'm not into fishing, despite knowing how. Then I was so nervous that she'd see through me that I fished to far for conversation. Finally though I just talked to her. She gave me some great advice about being myself and just letting life happen. So I texted both Colm and Lydell and told them that as their friend I would meet them there. So glad I had talked with Mrs. Stone, granted I'm sure she has some interest in how the night will play out, after all Colm is her son. After a quick dash home I showed up to prom in an outfit that decidedly didn't leave any wrong ideas. Holy cow! I got crowned queen. That's not the only thing that happened. Lydell and I had a falling out almost as soon as I walked in the door. He asked if this was what I was wearing, and acted as if I should change into some mini dress. I made it very clear that I was there to dance and have fun with friends, not sneak off and make out or more under the bleachers. Colm was waiting for me by the punch bowl, his first words "You look nice, the red tie compliments your hair." I thought we were just having fun and goofing around, then the dj put on a slow song and instead of letting me dart off the dance floor like I wanted Colm pulled me closer and whispered in my ear. "I meant it earlier you really do look great, tonight" then he kissed me on my cheek before whispering "Natalya if you ever decide you'd like a boyfriend I'd really like to be that guy." Holy Cow! I'm over the moon. Colm the loner, Colm the author, Colm my best friends brother is in love with me! I might have snuggled a little closer, but I'm just a sophomore and not ready to commit to anyone but my own survival and Colm indicated that he understands that and respects my choice to not date just yet. It's a good thing that there was no school or work for me on Saturday. My head was so far in the clouds that I almost missed both a pink diamond and a moonstone while out gathering. That night I hid behind the learning annex of the museum to do homework. Mrs. Stone found me struggling with a couple of history questions and helped me. She didn't bring up prom or Colm, for which I was grateful, but I finally relaxed and called her Fern. Her lips twitched into a tiny smile and her eyes twinkled. As we finished my homework we struck a bargain, when I was finished renovating my home, I would donate a variety of cuts of some of the more expensive gems. In exchange Fern would help me restore the windows without replacing them, by stripping them down and repainting them. We both shivered as the cooler fall air heralded the coming change of seasons. It was very late when I finally crawled into bed, but I'd accomplished a lot of work that weekend with Fern's help. I moved great grand mothers bed and rug to the attic. Installed a set of proper stairs, some lights, and paneled the walls with simple wood panels. I'd refinished the fencing on the roof over the arboretum, which I was starting to think would be a good spot for a swimming pool. Got the upper level outer wall fully restored, and the gutters cleaned up. I'd also restored the upstairs wall panels and flooring, but there's a lot yet to be done with the lights and decor. I'd reached a compromise with the contractors. The heat and ac unit was installed outside near the back stairs to the kitchen, and the electrical panels were installed in the basement. This way I could access the fuse panel and circuit breakers easily during a bad snow storm, and repair technicians could easily service the hvac unit the rest of the year without tracking dirt or mud through the house. The last thing I'd done was move my bed to great grandmothers old room, it was now my room.
I could have moved in an at any time, but I wasn't ready. It's been a little over a year since great grandmother passed away, and slowly my thinking has shifted from the house being hers to it being my house. I got the floor redone as well as the walls. Fern helped me restore both the fireplace and dresser. Bought myself a new desk and chair, but cleaned up the old table that great grand mother and I used to dine at. I still need to replace the curtains, Fern recommended considering lace. She also recommended that I upgrade all of the fireplaces to fire proof. I was happy when I found some old kerosene lamps that had been converted to electric in the restore catalog. I'm not sure what next year will bring, if I'll still be here or not, I hope so. I meet with the social worker and judge from family court tomorrow, which is exactly four hours from now. Hopefully the fact that I'm on the honor roll and half way done restoring my home will be marks in my favor. I wonder if coffee is as good as everyone claims it is?
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My week did not start out well. I didn't understand why the alarm didn't go off, but I'm glad that I heard the stairs squeak and thought to call the cops. I was worried for the officer's safety when the burglar attacked him. She's spry for an older woman. Happily for me the officer was able to recover the incense burner and my stove. He also advised me to contact the security company and have alarms installed at each entrance, not just the one by the back door. Today I splurged on a cotton candy before work. My boss could tell I was on a sugar rush, but it didn't really help my work performance. Happily it didn't hurt it either. People keep stopping me to ask about the house. Some people try to offer me money for it, others want to know it's history. Eventually I'm going to have to figure out better responses other than "Idk" or "go look it up". I don't mean to be rude, but to have random strangers popping up out of the blue is a little discomforting. Happily I'm able to use "I need to be at work" a lot. Even if sometimes that 'work' is actually at home working on the house. I still spend a lot of time at the library. Although now it's to learn new recipes, and to read how to books for house repairs and renovations. Between Lydell and Colm, I get the feeling I'm going to have a full dance card at the next school dance. I've already cleared with my boss to have the night off when it rolls around. I did it! It wasn't easy, but I did it! I can't believe how much nicer the kitchen looks now. Being able to whitewash the fireplace helped with the final look of the room, as did adding a center island. I was glad that great grandmother hadn't had any of the ceilings done in tinplate. After a bit of research I learned that I could do the same wall style on the back hall as well as the small room that leads to the basement. I moved my bed and the nightstand to the dining room. I kept the special egg I'd found at the spring egg hunt. I suppose I could have sold it, but when I look at it I think of the stories great grandmother would tell me of the old country, Russia. Summer is warm, some days are hot enough that I shelter at the library for a while before going out to scavenge. I often see the Stones around, outside of Mr. Peoples and his wife the Stones are the only other family that really stay on the island full time. With summer come the flowers lot's of flowers. Some of them are worth more than the others, I pick them all just the same because even 5 simoleans helps build the funds needed for renovating the house. I stop and hang with Mr. and Mrs. Peoples to stare at a lost parakeet. It's very cute and we agree that it must be someone's pet. The Peoples are a little more understanding of my formality, his father grew up in Poland, and Mrs. Peoples grew up in Belarus near the Polish border. What a haul. I added a few more gems to the collection at the museum. I have enough simoleans from the pink diamond and two moonstones I found to easily get three or four gem cutters of my own, but I like using the one at the museum, and don't mind having to donate one in exchange. To celebrate my finds, and as a thank you, I take Mrs. Stone out to dinner. I'm grateful that I don't have school or homework until next week. After dinner I decide to try out dumpster diving, after all the Stones earn a fair bit of income from cleaning up and reselling their finds. Gross! I am so never doing that again! Okay, so yes I found a couple of pieces of furniture that once cleaned up brought me a small profit, but nowhere near as nice as what I bring in from scavenging. It's late and I'm exhausted. After my success late Friday after work with my gem finds I spent the weekend working on the house. There's only one thing I left to the professionals, and that was the central heat and air, along with the junction box for the electricity. We're still negotiating placement. The installers want to put it outside, but I think it would be better in the basement. I hope we reach a consensus before falls colder weather.
In the meantime, I'm very pleased with how everything came out. I was even able to finally get all the weeds pulled, the dead trees removed. I'll need to rent scaffolding to get the upper levels cleaned up. I had help turning two of the dead trees into lamps for the odd little room that leads to the basement. I think it might have been cold storage for produce in the days before refrigerators. I think eventually I'm going to finish the basement with some simple paneling and refinish the floor boards. For now though having a shower handy for cleaning up after experimenting with the chemistry station or building stuff will be good enough. I'll be glad when the cold of winter is gone. Getting up in a cold room because I haven't figured out how to properly bank the old stove or fireplace yet is not fun. Cooking morning meals is also proving challenging, some days I just grab cereal or toast. Marta made everything seem so effortless when she was here. Despite the cold I love the freedom the bike gives me. If you haven't guessed my favorite color is red. I'm almost never home any more. If I'm not at school or work I'm at the library. I'm finally starting to understand the school work we're given. With access to the library's computer I've been able to do research of my own. Which has helped me learn the difference between the incomplete facts, the fictions, and what's available through known research. On the advice of both the school counselor and Mrs. Stone I moved great grandmother's grave marker to the cemetery. I miss her so much, despite the late hour I sit and talk to her as I finish the days homework. With the extra day free I spent part of my morning clearing weeds from the front yard. I also installed new porch rails. I might have to replace them again or paint them but for now their fine. I'm super excited, Tara, her friend Dusty, Colm, and Mrs. Stone are coming over to help me celebrate snowflake day so I won't be completely alone. Wow, I can't believe how lucky I am. Mrs. Stone smiles, she explained that both Tara and Colm had mentioned my interest in chest, and Mr. Stone had just finished getting a chess table cleaned up for selling. Dusty gave Tara a music book she'd been wanting. I gave Mrs. Stone some paper and paints for the family, which I felt was woefully inadequate compared to what they had gifted me. Eventually everyone left and I was alone again, so after checking on the stove to make sure it wouldn't go out, I left to go foraging. We had some excitement at school when a deer bolted in and then out of the building, momentarily confused. I decided to test the pe teachers suggestion that jogging would help me reduce my stress. I politely declined Colm's offer of a ride. Despite the cold I didn't think riding in a car with him was going to reduce my stress. He's so cute, and he's not dating anyone. He even asked me to the winter formal, but I have work so had to decline. I stared at my mail in shock. I had a signed permission slip for international travel from the family court judge. I had more than enough money saved up to cover both my bills at home and the travel expenses. I couldn't believe my luck, I was getting to go the Le Champs trip. I just had to clear the time off from work. I couldn't believe how much warmer it is here. Le Champs is further south than industrial island so it's practically spring like here. It didn't take me long to meet locals and learn about the culture. The one thing that stood out for me was even here I was getting sideways looks for my appearance. I love great grandmother, but maybe it's time to do some shopping. With a few discrete inquiries I learn where the locals go. Putting away the rest of my new clothes I feel a thrill of excitement. I wonder what great grandmother would have thought of my new look. I started to get my hair cut but in the end I went with a trim and some bangs, that work nicely pulled up into a pony tail. I discovered that I was just as good at finding collectibles here as I was at home. Le Champs doesn't have the same laws as back home. So I got to try a little bit of nectar at the nectary. It was okay, but I don't get the big hype. Who knows maybe I'll understand better when I'm an adult. My roommates liked the pancakes that I learned how to make at the culinary classes. My last day of the trip I bought an incense for great grandmother. It's seems silly because she's gone, but I think she would have enjoyed it. I also bought myself some cook books. I really want to learn how to make crepes, but it's going to be a while before I'm a skilled enough cook to try to make them. At home, I shiver from the cold. It had been so nice and warm in Le Champs. I dash upstairs and put the incense holder on great grandmother's dresser and then dash back down to the tepid warmth of the kitchen. I double check that I have my trip report in order and review the weeks assignments. We have another trip to the science center this week. As I get ready for bed I wonder what Colm will think of my new look. Sigh, Tara looks like she's having lots of fun playing guitar. Sometimes I wish I could play hooky from work. I shouldn't complain, after all I just got back from an awesome trip to Le Champs. I don't tell Colm that I don't believe him when he says he's having trouble with his school work. I'm having a hard time focusing. He told me I look nice. He waited until after I got off of work to do homework at the library. He usually finishes his work in class. I'm trying to focus but I wonder if he can hear how fast my heart is beating. We're just good friends, but I think if he asks me to another dance I'll say yes. Spring is finally here. Which means I'm having an easier time finding collectables. Most of the time I'm only finding one or two gems, so I don't bother cutting them. I'm tempted to get a gem cutter for home, but I really do need to focus on fixing up the house. Especially if I want central heat for next winter. Although I did splurge on a tablet, primarily I use it for supplemental lessons. I've improved my writing and my language arts teacher gives me extra credit points if I let her review my journal entries. Sometimes I find a fair number of gems, and it's worth my time to cut them. I now know how to cut heart and pear shaped gems too. Today I'm donating a heart cut blue topaz. It's worth 80, but the heart shaped blood diamond I sold to a private collector was worth over 1,200; and that didn't include the other gems I'd found and cut. As I get ready for bed I appreciate how nice the kitchen is starting to look. I think this summer I'll move my new bed to the dining room which is just down the hall. It's also closer to the half bath I added to the odd corner of the living room.
Have I mentioned I don't like writing in this journal, yet I like the idea of great grandmother's house sold off and being sent back to the half way house even less. I got the job at the store stocking shelves. It doesn't pay very much, but it should be more than enough to cover the bills, after all it can't be that expensive to maintain great grandmother's property. I spent the rest of my day relaxing at the library. My first day of school wasn't to bad. Two of my classmates are siblings, Tara and Colm Stone. I got home after work and cried when I saw how much the bills were. There was no way my part time job would cover these expenses. In class today Tara mentioned that her mom made money by collecting and selling rocks to the science center. I pulled out the tiny rock I'd picked up after school yesterday and looked at it. Could this small thing be worth anything? Using my court issued phone I sent a picture of it to the science center. I almost dropped my phone when I saw the response; they wanted to give me 1,400 for that tiny speck of rock. After paying the bills, I splurged. Tara had mentioned two break in attempts so I got an alarm installed. I want a way to stay active since there isn't a gym out here so I got a chin up bar. A few days later we had a field trip to the science center, where I learned a little more about what was available for collecting around the island. I was grateful when Tara brought me some winter outer clothes to wear. She and Colm told me how their parents used to do a lot of dumpster diving for furniture, in addition to the collecting. Yeah, I might have freaked out some today. I went to the library after work so I could work on my homework, which has been really hard for me despite being a genius, and instead fell asleep on the seating from exhaustion. Another day another trip to the library. Today I took advantage of the tutoring program and got help with my school work. I love science, history not so much, but science and building stuff yes. It's been a shock for me to realize that the private school I'd gone to before was not teaching proper science, or even proper history. My biggest shock came in health class, when the teacher didn't stand and lecture on the sin of sex, instead she explained how the body works for reproduction. Colm turned redder than his hair during part of the lecture. Hopefully my discomfort wasn't as obvious. It was awkward, but it's nice to have a better understanding of why I bleed every month. Ugh! I have to stand up in front of the class and debate whether teens should be able to drive without lessons first in a group debate. Which now has me wondering if it's worth it to take driving classes through the school. The island isn't that big so a good bike would probably be just as efficient. If Marta was still here I could ask her to teach me how to drive. Although I can barely cover the bills as it is, perhaps the added expense of a car isn't a good idea right now. Then there's the added problem of the mainlands historical society want's me to keep the restoration as historically accurate as possible. They even sent me a bunch of color and fabric information pamphlets. Add to that a notice from code enforcement about the over grown yard. Thankfully we don't have a city hall or police station out here which means I have some leeway before code enforcement comes by again. I think that if I can show progress they'll give me more time to work on the yard. Wow, Colm invited me over to his house. He's such a loner that I'm surprised by how much he talks to me in class. I didn't have tons of time to visit, as I needed to get to work. Mrs. Stone was really nice she told me several places to find good quality gems. Mr. Stone said I should stop the the museum and check out the art studio if I found any gems. Weekend, oh blessed weekend. I am so sleeping in. It's a bonus weekend too, Monday is snowflake day so we don't have school. Wow, I found some really nice gems today thanks to Mrs. Stones advice. I wasn't to surprised to see Tara at the museum with her parents, it's not as if there's to many places to hang out unless you take a ferry to the mainland. Mrs. Stone, who keeps trying to get me to call her Fern, explained how to use the gem cutter. She also explained that it was my choice of which cut gem I donated, and that I could donate the cheapest one if I wanted. By the time I was done cutting the gems I'd collected for the day I'd figured out how to do both an emerald cut and an oval cut. I donated a small gem and sold the rest. I earned enough money to buy a bike, some planters, and a new bed. I wanted to spend more, but saved the rest for the bills that would be coming. As I climb into my new bed I decide that next week I'd like to do my best to clean up the kitchen, and make it as nice as possible. I've also decided that I want to get a half bath installed on the ground floor so I don't have to constantly run upstairs.
Hunger gnawed at my belly, I should have waited for the midday ferry, then I could have had breakfast at the halfway house I'd had to stay at during the court hearings on the main land. Yet all I could think of was getting home to baboushka, great grandmother, even though she's passed on. The beat cops kept eyeing my outdated clothes. I was offered new clothes by the social worker but I couldn't bring myself to take them. It wasn't pride, it was an odd sense of disloyalty, even though I really wanted to wear modern clothes. The judge who heard my case felt that I was doubly lucky, first I'd survived a train crash as a small child, and then great grandmothers house and I had both survived the meteor strike that had laid waste to the upper part of the island. The judge instructed me that to prove that I could make it as an emancipated minor I would have to attend the regular school, not that there was money for tutors or private school anymore, I would need to submit regular written reports, and I would have to take a part time job. I'm lucky I guess two new stores just opened on the island so I can get a job at one of them after school and have the weekends free to do what I want. I want to restore the house to it's original glory, as well as update it. I'm not a fan of writing, but if writing daily in this journal is what I need to do to stay here then that's what I do. My belly is growling again, I can smell aromas on the wind from the diner, it's feast day today, yet I have no desire to celebrate. I really should go in, but sadness is weighing on me, I wish I knew Marta's pierogi and borscht recipes, I could use their comforting warmth against the coming winter. Taking pictures at dawn, 6 am, game time was not a brilliant idea. I'll try to get better pictures next game session. I used custard to remove cc from the lot, so it might be slightly different from how it was uploaded. I had to shift a few shrubs and trees out of the basement. It will be awhile before the weeds in the yard get addressed in game or story. Natalya has 126 sim days or 18 sim weeks until she turns YA on epic play. The house is fairly big so it will most likely take a minimum of 6 to 8 sim weeks to renovate & become friends with sims around town. She will most likely get an early birthday celebration when the house is finished. :) Updated with the better pictures. :) There's so much that happened this last summer. Mom is such a good gatherer that she always finds the most valuable birds, insects, rocks, and more for the science center's research team. Dad continues to work as an art critic, he's even received an honorary degree to acknowledge his abilities as an artist. He's gotten so critical that sometimes he doesn't even finish his own work. He says it's because he realized he's repeating himself with the subject matter. There have been a few times when Tara would beg off of game night. At first it seemed like there might be a big fuss about it, but when mom saw the research that needed to be done for Tara's school work she agreed that Tara could be excused from family game night. Mom was thrilled when a shipment of solar panels came in on the ferry, and had just finished upgrading them when Tara asked mom about boys, video games, and how to tell the difference between a crush and true love. Which prompted dad to grilling Tara's best friend and crush on the front porch. Mostly they talked about music and family. Dad seemed content that Dusty would respect Tara as a person, and her goal of becoming a one person band. Dad and Tara accompanied Colm to school for an award ceremony. Mom wanted to go but I had a bad tummy bug and was extra fussy. A few days later per Colm's request we had a private transition ceremony. He's my big brother and one of my best friends, but he's also a loner so it's been hard for him to express his feelings to mom and dad. Mom always gives him hugs and tells him it's okay to prefer solitude to hanging out with family, so long as he doesn't completely shut himself off from the world. He grins and grumbles that as an acclaimed sci-fi author it's really hard to stay anonymous. Not long after Colm's birthday it was my turn to celebrate the big transition. This year my birthday just happened to fall on leisure day. I was hoping for a big swim party but the weather wasn't in my favor. Nor did the day start on a good note, another burglar tried to break in. Mom and dad wish we had a local police station, but for now we have to settle for ferried in day officer's. Drama aside I had a good time at my transition party, as did the people that my parents invited. Mom says I transitioned at just the right time. I don't know, I've read the "Where Did I Come From" book in our school library. I think my parents might have planned the timing of mom's latest pregnancy. On a whim, mom took a suggestion from dad and tried vending produce for a day at the little farmers market behind the new zero waste grocery store and book market. When she got home she said it was the longest most boring day ever and definitely not for her. Myself, I love to dress up and pretend I'm on great expeditions or a dinosaur protecting it's eggs. Other days I pretend I'm exploring outer space. Always when I'm pretending, I also pretend that I'm bringing back fabulous finds for the museum that dad helped get built. I know that mom has made a donation to the gem displays. She says it's part of arts education program on site. That allows people to work on skills so long as they donate at least one creation per session to the museum. Mom likes the gem cutter they have in the small studio by the zen garden. This is my baby brother Paul Jr, mom and dad spend a lot of time with him. He cry's a lot if he's not in his swing. He doesn't just take up a lot of mom and dad's time, he also takes up Tara and Colm's time. Baby's are a lot of work and stinky when they fill their diapers. Dad spent a whole weekend teaching Colm how to drive. I spent the weekend interviewing mom and the rest of the family for this assignment, Colm helped provide pictures, he draws a lot better than I do. According to mom our home was really trashed when they first moved in, and not all of it was due to meteor damage. I suppose the big excitement now that the ferry service is restored to three times a day, and people are starting to see the island as a good place to live, is the news of the young girl living alone at the Danilova house. Dad and Colm both saw her crying over a fresh grave in the yard when they were practicing Colm's driving skills. I've heard mom and dad talking about some of the rumors. One of which was if the girl, Natalya Danilova, could prove to the courts that she could adequately provide for herself as an "emancipated" minor while staying on the honor role they, the courts and child services, would let her stay in her home. I know I'm only a little kid, but I think it would be scary to loose my family and have to live alone. Here ends the journey with the Stones. I am leaving the Stones after 11 full sim weeks. I will be starting the next renovation at week 12 day 1. All family members are friends or better with the following two exceptions. Colm has trouble maintaining friendships due to his loner trait, despite ltr to maintain friendships. Paul Jr is only 4 sim days old, and as such is only good friends with his parents as they are his primary care providers. The house is fully renovated, and thanks to the gatherer trait every 4/5 sim days when Fern goes out and around the island she brings in anywhere from 3 to 6 thousand simoleans on top of what she and Colm bring in from book royalties. Colm has donated about five thousand simoleans to charity, to cover for items that were recolored. Almost everything that can be upgraded has been upgraded. The house which I tried to keep to a semi Victorian theme, is just under 80 thousand fully furnished, or 45 thousand empty. I've loosely matched the children's rooms to their traits, favorite color (grey), and ltw's. Tara's ltw is one sim band, and Colm's is illustrated author. Siobhan doesn't have one yet, however her traits are brave, explorer, and virtuoso. Sark is ending with 7 traits, thanks to both the rebel faction and his honorary fine arts degree. There's not to much to be said about our second year, at least that's Tara's opinion. Colm has a different perspective on our second year on the island. While they didn't get any new classmates a few of the houses finally got settled into. Tara asked mom to help her with a science project for school on weather patterns. Colm had paid attention in class, but Tara hadn't wanted his help. Tara said that the project gave her a chance to talk to mom about growing girl changes too. Mom winks at me whenever Tara says that, as if she knew all along that the project was a cover up. Both Tara and Colm grumbled about school being year round. While Colm preferred to work alone, he had to admit that their homework got done faster when they worked together. Dad continued to paint wherever he could. His paintings were getting better and better. Folks were starting to take notice of his art where they had ignored his music. Dad even got contracted to paint some murals at the warehouse. Everyone raved that his "Elven Queen" was a masterpiece. That fall when Tara's big transition day rolled around she asked mom for chocolate cake and a small party. If mom wanted to freak over Tara's rebellious fashion style, dad talked her out of it. According to dad by not making a big fuss they didn't draw attention to the wrong aspects of Tara's self exploration. "I am not big on the idea that some guy might be oogling our daughter over what she wears, but I want her to be free to express herself safely." Dad paused for a moment. "Do you remember some of the girls at your high school? I remember a few from mine. Their parents were super strict, so they constantly snuck around and wore worse that what Tara's wearing. One girl was so oppressed by her parents she ran away and ended up on the streets as a prostitute, the other ended up raped at a party and pregnant. I don't want that for Tara, I'd rather let her explore and teach her how to be confident of herself." Mom hugged dad "We had more than a few like that at the parochial school I attended. I'm not a fan of what she's wearing, but you're right it could be worse. I think maybe ..." mom paused for a long moment "I think just maybe part of her outfit choice is due to a lack of stores out here. Even with regular ferry service it took 3 months for a new pair of jeans to arrive." According to Colm if they had any further talks about Tara's clothing choices it wasn't where he could hear. Colm suspected that Tara's new look was more about being thrifty than rebelling, while Tara says it's a little bit of both. Tara and mom were both in shock when dad gave Tara his guitar as a birthday gift. Mom had found a music box, with a gnome instead of a ballerina, at Mr. Peoples store, that she gave Tara for her birthday. Mom and dad took turns teaching Tara how to drive. All three swear that they saw someone moving around at the Danilova house. If mom and dad had hoped that Tara would pull fewer pranks as a teen, they were quickly proved wrong. As Tara booby trapped everything she could think of, no one was safe from her pranks. When the new library opened across the street from us dad was asked to paint murals near the entrances. As fall moved towards winter our family along with the rest of the islands residents started spending time in the new library. The odd design around the outside of the building is a tribute to the science center for helping with construction costs. When it got to cold to paint outside dad continued to paint inside. Neither Tara or Colm can figure out why or how dad changed but he did, and so did mom. Somewhere along the line dad stopped being scared of commitment and appreciated the outdoors more. Mom while still not perfect about cleaning was less of a slob. When dad asked mom to go steady Tara and Colm bolted, to much grossness according to them. Mom and dad started insisting on more family time, at least once a week we had what they called game night. The rest of the week everyone was busy with school, writing, even mom was writing some guides on where to find stuff for the science center, and after school activities. Tara was on the phone with one of her best friends at school when dad suddenly dropped to one knee in front of mom one winter evening. She rolls her eyes whenever she tells me that parents are weird enough without the added mush of getting back together. Colm says it's even weirder that they didn't just have a private ceremony. "I don't get them Siobhan they eloped the first time they got married, but this time they waited to finalize their vows." Mom's guides to the island were popular and she found that even though writing was stressful, she enjoyed it. So she began a novel that while labeled as fiction is a romance based off of her and dad's relationship. Her guides only earn her pennies, but the novel is earning her almost as much as Colm earns from his sci-fi stories. When snowflake day rolled around mom and dad threw another gift giving party. Tara rolled her eyes whenever mom and dad would steal a kiss under the mistletoe. Everyone enjoyed the gift exchange. We all had a chuckle when Tara, Colm, as well as mom all gave dad a new guitar for the holiday. As winter moved towards spring the days sped by. Sometimes on game night dad and Colm would play chess while mom and Tara cheered the game on. The attempted robbery wasn't the highlight of the end of winter, rather mom and dad throwing pre-wedding parties was. Tara and Colm only know that they invited friends over, because we weren't allowed in the house during the parties. Tara was allowed to go wherever she wanted, but Colm and I were taken to the library. I suppose Colm could have gone to the winter festival if he had wanted, but he liked the quiet of the library more. When a talent scout approached mom and dad about Tara's skating ability, and asked if they like to sign Tara up for competition skating, they asked Tara if she'd like to compete. She said that she wasn't interested in competing and just liked to skate for fun. More than the library got built that year. Someone had a new house built at the far end of the island, and a small spiritual center was built next to the graveyard. Mom took a tour of the center and talked to dad about having their wedding there. Dad took a tour as well and agreed that it would make a nice location. Then one spring day after Tara and Colm were done with the school for the day, mom and dad invited as many of the people they knew from around the island and renewed their vows, once again becoming Mr & Mrs Stone. Their wedding was the talk of the island for a few days. As big of a deal as a wedding is that wasn't the big talk of the town. Dad's art work had caught the eye of a big art dealer. Dad was invited* to work for a museum as an art critic, dad agreed. At first mom was worried that dad's job was going to require traveling the globe. Dad smiled and reassured her that not only did he not have to leave unless they wanted to as a family, but that part of his contract was to help build a museum there on the island. As his way of reassuring mom that he wasn't going anywhere dad made it a point to help mom water the garden every evening after work. He also promised mom that he had no problem with her hiring a sitter during the day to watch me if she wanted to go collecting while he was at work. After all the map she had made of the island was so precise that it took her almost no time at all to collect stones and minerals for the science center. Mom used her money from collecting to build her and dad a small master suite, with a deck, above what had been their room which she turned into a nursery play room. Spring practically flew by with mom making small changes here and there through out the house. * I'd forgotten that when a sim reaches level 10 of university based faction they get offered certain jobs. The bulk of the money from Sark's job will be used to build a museum, through tce build here interaction without actually owning the museum/art gallery lot. At this point Fern had enough ltr points to get her the collection helper, so her collecting is very concentrated. In two to three hours of collecting she brought in over three thousand simoleans between gems & small animals. So the family is no longer struggling to make ends meet, and hasn't been for a while now thanks to the book royalties.
When Colm reaches teen he'll be getting the good trait so the family can make donations to charity's. It's hard to explain what happened during that second summer. Tara was almost a teen and even she didn't get it. What is agreed is that dad started talking to mom more as they gardened together, and that this time he was genuinely interested in her answers. Tara and Colm both remember this conversation. "Do you really want to start a produce stand?" Dad asked. "Yes ... No ... I don't know." Mom admitted. "Then why were you so determined to start one last year?" Dad asked. "Income source mainly, plus I love being outdoors." Mom answered without any hesitation this time. "What's different this year? I know it's not a sudden income source." Dad responded. "You mean besides gardens taking a lot of work?" Mom laughed "We both know I'm not very good at organizing, or being miss perfect Suzie homemaker, it turns out those same skills are critical for running a farm stand." Dad chuckled with mom "Yeah your right, and my lack of focus on any one goal for to long doesn't leave me in a strong position to help or criticize on that front." As dad was leaving the garden he turned and called back "I almost forgot, Mr Peoples wasn't able to order any floaters in, so we won't be able to teach Siobhan how to swim in the pool." Just because there were no safety wings for me didn't stop mom from taking the occasional dip as I played near by. Dad was almost always someplace nearby working on murals or playing his guitar. Every once in a while mom would take me with her to the warehouse grounds while she picked flowers. When dad would ask her about her day, she would comment that it went well, but that Mr Peoples and his girlfriend Tiana were still at a rocky stage. With the weather so nice mom and dad would let us kids stay up late on Friday's. When Colm's 10th birthday rolled around Dad asked him if he wanted anything special or a party. The only thing Colm had wanted was for dad to play guitar while he painted. According to Colm dad's music helped inspire his art work. According to Tara mom and dad would have lots of conversations when they thought us kids were preoccupied. "Sark it really bothers me that there's not much for the kids to do here, let alone adults. I know planning isn't my thing but we need something more for them here." Mom said. "We have plenty for them here at the house ..." Dad had started to say when mom cut him off. "No, that's not what I mean. I mean they need someplace beside home and school to go, same for their two classmates." According to Curtis mom's voice had a tone to it that he'd never heard before. "Do you want to move back to the city, the Y has lots of programs." Dad sincerely asked. "No!" Mom was so emphatic that it startled Tara and Colm "I like it here, despite the lack of almost everything. What I was thinking is if there was something more like a rec center or mall then maybe more people would stay and help resettle the island. I mean there's a lot that needs to be fixed because of that danged meteor, but there's a lot of charm to being here." "An art gallery would be nice" Dad commented. "But you'd be showing to the same people over and over again. Yes the ferry has picked up service but not many people are coming over, or if they do they don't stay past a few hours" Mom replied. If they talked more Tara and Colm don't know because they had moved outside. Mom and Tara had a long talk about being an almost teen. The upshot was that mom gave Tara a bit more freedom to roam when she didn't have to be at school. Naturally as a rebel Tara would skip breakfast at home and get herself snow cones at the festival for her first meal. I'm pretty sure mom knows that Tara does this, 'cause I've spotted her wink at dad. Dad's a whole different story. He got to where he was constantly hovering around mom. I guess mom didn't know what to make of his sudden change of behavior, but she yelled at him and waved her arms. Tara and Colm were at school so I don't know what mom said, she won't tell me other to say it wasn't important. The upshot was that dad would spend part of each day painting murals around town. Colm sold another book, he now had three books to his name and was receiving regular money from the publisher. Mom cried when he insisted that he didn't need a college degree to become a best selling author and illustrator. Mom cried even harder when she found out that Colm wanted her to hire a cleaning service. "I'd have done it already mom, but the secretary at the firm won't take me serious because I'm only 10, something about legal age for contracts." Colm had told mom. Dad had walked in on the tail end of the conversation. He whispered something in mom's ear, and now we have a maid, and everyone's happier. As often as dad was about there were also the days when he wasn't, and mom would brush it off as not a big deal and that dad needed his space. "Why don't you open a daycare?" Dad asked mom out of the blue. "That would fall under lack of organizing, besides I'm not interested in raising other peoples children." Mom responded. "But your so good at bringing out the good qualities in children." Dad replied. "Our children Sark, just ours, I don't do so well with other peoples kids for more than a short time. It's why I dropped the education courses in favor of the art class where we met." Mom replied. "Plus, a daycare doesn't solve the problem of an all ages place for kids and adults." "There's the festival grounds." Dad replied. "True, but they have nothing for toddlers, and limited hours." Mom pointed out. That Tara's big transition was creeping up rapidly became apparent when she started pranking stuff around the house. Dad was sitting with me when he heard mom scream from the bathroom. Dad has admitted that he wondered if mom's scream meant that she no longer wanted more children. Another weekend rolled around, and with summer dwindling to a close Tara wanted a pool party. Colm not so much, to many people around makes him uncomfortable. They both knew that mom and dad had been discussing the issue of someplace for families to go again. They were trying to decide which would get more support, a park, a hangout or a library. Tara heard mom say that they might be able to get extra money for a library from the science center. What made Tara pause before entering the room, was dad's response. "A library would be a good choice, because it could have something for everyone, which is really good for families" Tara and Colm spent five minutes trying to figure out when dad had become so family orientated. They finally decided it must have been a gradual shift over the summer, as they realized that he had gone out of his way to do more with them. Once Tara had recovered her shock of dad's changed attitude she decided she'd better ask about a pool party quick. Tara never asked, instead she bolted out of the kitchen making a gag sound "They're being gross ..... " Colm peeked through the doorway "gross". Mom and dad both swear that there was no sudden declarations of love. Mom however did invite dad to share her bed if he wanted. The house started to change again, suddenly the neutral space between the two got filled in, walls added and removed.
Dad still wasn't keen on the idea of commitment, but family, our family with mom, had become very precious to him. Tara and Colm both swear that you can tell that mom and dad really do love each other, by how they hold hands and flirt when they don't think us kids are watching them. One of the last purchases before the end of summer was a car. Dad and mom didn't always agree on everything, but they both felt that teaching Tara how to drive when her big transition arrived in a few months time was going to be important. With the arrival of spring came the return of limited ferry service. The mainland businesses sent over enough materials to build a large warehouse, but the politicians wouldn't let them send enough supplies on a single ferry to fill the ware house. After a teleconference with the businesses it was decided that the warehouse could be used for community events in the time being to keep squatters from setting up camp. Even though the weather was slightly warmer Tara still dressed up as an astronaut whenever possible, going on imaginary missions and overcoming all kinds of dangers. Dad once asked Tara if she wanted to join the military, and she replied probably not they had to many rules, she just enjoyed pretending. Dad put up a mural for mom, she often wondered why he put out a tip jar when working inside the house. Tara and Colm admit that as nice as it was to have both mom and dad together at meals it still felt off some how. In Tara's words "I know we were just kids, but even we could feel something was off with dad's sudden attachment to us and mom, when before he hated being in the same room with her." I only have mom's version of what happened at the spring festival the day dad asked her to go with him. Mom stands firm that she thought he had asked as a friend and nothing more. She hired a sitter to watch me for the day, and then headed out with dad. She says the day started out good, and they were actually having fun, especially skating like they used to years ago. But then dad spotted a Vintage Love Doctor Machine, and insisted they test their relationship. Mom says she could tell by dad's humming that he was thinking of his music and not her as they approached the machine against her better judgment. Mom won't say if she's still mad at dad for trying to make out with her. She only says that when I'm old enough I'll understand. What she will tell me, and dad nods in agreement if I ask him, is that she told him under no uncertain terms would she allow him to break her heart again with a misguided sense of need just because they'd lost Paul, whom they'd both loved, a few months earlier. One of the local vendors even confirms that mom was yelling at dad and told him he had to decide what was more important in his life, being footloose and fancy free or being there for family no matter what. "I've made sacrifices for us and our children too! Don't you ever forget that Sark Stone! And since the ferry is running again feel free to leave whenever the fuck you want!" mom had yelled at him before storming out of the warehouse. I asked the vendor, one of Mr. Peoples cousins, if he was sure those were mom's words multiple times. He just nodded and claimed that mom was right furious that day. All I can do is wonder at just how mad must have been, because I've seen her mad and I've never heard her use more than fudge or fiddle sticks. None of us are to sure how much that fight impacted on dad. What we do know is that at least this time he did go back to sulking and snarling at mom, as he had in the past when they would fight. Colm thinks that dad might have actually been weighing mom's words over and over. What we do know is that dad settled into his own routine's, but some of that included helping mom with her garden, along with asking her for her input on how best to finish his side of the building. That first spring was also when Colm published his very first book. He said that their confinement on the island had inspired him to write several sci-fi books centered around the island. With most of the snow melted mom was able to start hunting for materials for the science center again. She was really good at finding valuable minerals and rocks. Spring Equinox arrived and everyone went to the festival to have fun. Well everyone except me, I was home with a sitter. Dad played guitar while everyone danced. Tara and Colm participated in the egg hunt. While Tara didn't find anything Colm did, he found a fancy egg and an odd gnome in a rabbit suit. Colm displayed them for a few days, before selling them to Mr. Peoples. He gave the money to mom to help with the renovation. She used it to order building materials from the mainland. Dad and Tara sort of got mom's fascination with the vintage look of the old railway. While none of us are one hundred percent sure if we agree with mom, the home is a lot warmer now that mom was able to get good insulation to go in the wall behind the half bricks she used on the interior. Mom told dad to relax, she didn't plan on bricking the full interior, and eventually she might change her mind on the final look of the whole home. Colm dragged dad to the new chess table every chance he got, that dad was willing to sit and play. He liked to bounce story ideas off of dad. He had already started his second book. Part of the many changes that happened that spring was Colm and Tara getting their own rooms. In turn they started helping even more with chores around the house such as giving me my bottles, or tidying up the meal dishes for mom. Tara says it's because they were getting better sleep on their new beds. That dad didn't play guitar as much and had suddenly shifted his focus onto murals and street art couldn't be missed. Dad would sometimes come hangout with mom and watch gardening programs on the new tv. They frequently discussed the rumors that there was someone living at the seemingly abandoned Danilova residence. Not that anyone ever saw anyone on the property, but sometimes if you stood still long enough it seemed as if someone was looking out the windows. As the last days of spring fluttered away, dad got mom to let him paint a whale in our dining area. In return for the work she had done on his side of the lot. It would be a fare stretch to say that they were friends by this time, but instead what they had could definitely be called comfortable casual acquaintances. Neither kept their doors locked to the other, but they also respected each others space. If dad recognized the silk flowers as the ones he'd given mom on that ill fated attempt of a date, he didn't say anything, although his lips would sometimes twitch up into a smile as he worked. Mom had done some really nice work on our split home, while maintaining the old rail stations identity. Mom claimed that before she did anything further for the walls they should probably invest in some flooring, maybe even the in heat variety. She had spent hours with dad discussing what he thought he wanted and needed as a single man. She said that for the time being she'd leave the stairs, because dad might want an upper deck for parties once his cooking skills grew. Dad expressed gratitude for the shelves to display grandpa's inventions. On our side, as I had mentioned mom had managed to make rooms for Tara and Colm. Since I was still a toddler she hadn't made me my own room yet. Downstairs was all closed in finally, no more going outside to get upstairs. Mom had salvaged enough of the original paneling to do the entire first floor. From the outside the overall look is nice, and will be even nicer when she's able to get better siding for the upstairs, according to mom. She even humored dad when he had requested a pool on his side.
Mom complained about the final frost being hard on her garden, yet we still got more than enough food from it to feed ourselves. |
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