Episode 18: Spring & Summer Challenges
Tuesday, 14th Of Spring, 1978
A couple minutes after eating breakfast, Ellen and I were interacting with our babies in the living room. I was teaching Pete how to throw a softball, and Ellen is sitting in her rocking chair breastfeeding Jack.
"Okay, Pete. You need to get a firm grip on the ball, like this..." Pete let the ball fall out of his hands. "No- close your hands together." I helped Pete close his little right hand on the ball.
"Okay, hold it like that," I instructed him.
"Da-da! Ball!" Pete exclaimed, showing me the ball in his hands as if he won something amazing.
"Yeah! You're holding the ball!" I smiled at him.
Ellen giggled. "Seems like Pete is more interested in the fact that he's holding the ball," she commented.
I looked at Ellen. "You know how easily amused kids are, don't you?"
"Nope," Ellen shook her head.
I sighed.
"I'm just joking, it's a new experience for Pete, he should be happy," Ellen told me.
I nodded in agreement and shifted my attention back to Pete who was looking at his right hand gripping the little red ball.
"Okay, Pete. Do what I do." I held my right arm up like I'm the one holding the ball so Pete will simulate what I'm doing. "Okay. To throw the ball, you just pull your arm back like this... and throw!" I said, softly throwing my right arm forward.
Pete giggled seeing me do that and then he tried to do it. He threw the ball, all right, but what I didn't expect to happen is that the ball hit me in the forehead!
*boink!*
"Ow!" I playfully rubbed my forehead.
Luckily it is only a softball.
"Nice shot, Pete!" Ellen smiled.
Pete was laughing like he's watching a comedy show. I stood up.
"Okay, playtime is over for now. I gotta do my work," I announced as I stepped outside.
Ellen with Jack and Pete soon followed me out to get some fresh air. Ellen held Jack in her arms obviously, while Pete walked by her side, wearing his overalls. I also bought him a blue cap like mine! the only difference is that the brim of the cap is yellow instead of completely blue, and it barely fits his head. It was the only cap that looked similar to always, I fed my livestock, Koro and Zara, sprinkled the turnip and potato seeds and then I rode around the ranch on Zara while Pete and Ellen watched.
"Look, Jack! See your Daddy riding the horse?" Ellen said in mock awe.
But Jack was barely interested in me riding the horse. He was turning his head left and right, checking out the ranch while Pete was enjoying watching me ride Zara. After I was done riding, I encouraged Ellen to ride on Zara with me, but she declined saying that when Jack learns to crawl, she'll ride with me, or ride by herself like she always wanted.
Thursday, 16th Of Spring, 1978
"Darling, will you hold Jack sometimes?" Ellen asked me as she handed Jack to me.
I took him into my arms and looked into his cute round face while Ellen went off to cook breakfast. Jack cooed and blabbered at me, almost as if he's trying to talk to me.
"... I don't know what you're trying to say, but I know how you feel," I said to Jack as I sat down on the living room couch with Pete who was watching one of those early morning 4 year old rated cartoon shows.
Jack looked over at Pete and talked gibberish to him. Pete turned his head towards him and said: "Ba-ba. De-de-de." to Jack.
And Jack gibbered and cooed back at Pete. It's... Almost as if... they were actually speaking to one another. Well, they are brothers, after all.
"Hey, Pete. Mind telling me what Jack is saying to you?" I asked Pete, but he said nothing, just grinned at me, showing his gums and the only tooth in his mouth.
"Eh, I expected that much," I mumbled sadly, knowing that Pete wouldn't give me any answers.
"Breakfast is ready! Come and get it!" Ellen called.
A few minutes later we all stepped outside. As always, while Ellen was feeding Koro and Zara and walking around the ranch with Pete and Jack, I fed my cows, chickens, and sprinkled some water on the turnip sprouts and potato seeds. After I was done with my work, I asked Ellen if she and our kids would like to walk with me to Neighbor Town and visit her uncle at his livestock shop. She happily agreed and walked with me, along with Jack and Pete to Neighbor Town.
As soon as we got to town, we headed on over to the livestock shop. On the way over there, some of the townspeople we passed by gave us compliments of how cute our kids look. It really flattered Ellen and I. When we got to the livestock shop, I was first to come in through the door.
"Hello!" I called.
Ellen's uncle Dale, who is examining a cow medicine tablet looked up and smiled as soon as he saw me.
"Tony! How are you doing?"
"Fine, sir. sure is a beautiful day out. Figured I'd drop by since I've finished my ranch chores for today," I replied.
"Good, good. Even a hard worker needs a break. So why are you here, Mr. Tony? Are you here to buy a cow? Sell a cow? Buy a chicken? Or sell a chicken?" He asked me.
I shook my head. "Neither of that. I'm visiting with someone," I said with a smirk.
"Who?" Dale asked.
Without saying a single word, I stepped aside from obscuring Dale's view of the foor.
"Okay, honey, you can come in, now," I called.
A second later, Ellen came in with Jack in her arms and Pete walking in next to her.
"Why... Isn't that...? Ellen? Is that you?" Dale rubbed his eyes for a second and continued staring at Ellen in astonishment.
"Hello, Uncle Dale. Yes, it's me. and these are my babies," Ellen said.
"Two? Wow, Tony. Two babies, huh? Ha-ha! Tony, when I said that you were a hard worker, I see now that I'm right 100%!" Dale smiled at me.
I nodded, scratching the back of my neck sheepishly.
"So, Ellen, who are these little babies of yours?" He asked Ellen.
"The one who is standing next to me looking cute as his Dad is Pete, he was born last year in the 12th of Summer, and this little bundle of joy in my arms here is Jack. I just gave birth to him back in the 12th," Ellen explained.
"Ohhh... I see. Tony, you should be proud of yourself. If only your mother and father would see you now..." Dale said to me, admired by my achievements.
"Oh, speaking of my Mom and Dad, they're coming to visit me at the 30th of summer next year," I told him.
"Really?"
"Yes, sir. My Dad will be happy to know that I've been taking good care of the farm for the past two years," I replied.
Ellen's uncle then cleared his throat.
"Tony? May I ask you a question?"
"Sure."
"What do you plan on doing after your parents visit you? Do you plan on being a rancher forever? Or do you want to do something else with your life?" He asked me.
I frowned and shrugged cluelessly. "I have no idea what you mean sir."
"Do you know why your Daddy sent you to your grandpa's ranch in the first place?" Ellen's uncle asked me like it's a question too easy for me to get wrong.
"... Yeah, he wanted me to take over my grandpa's ranch, plain and simple. I didn't choose to be a farmer, Dad chose that life for me," I replied.
To my surprise, Ellen's uncle shook his head.
"No. that's not the reason." He said.
"Huh?" Ellen was confused just like me.
"What?" I frowned, dumbfounded.
"You see, when I first saw you in the first day of spring two years ago, when I was towing an adult cow behind me, I saw you walking on your way to the ranch," Dale said.
"Yeah! I remember that day! I passed by you!" I exclaimed, recalling the event.
"Yes. When I saw you, I saw that even though you're almost a young adult, you haven't yet experienced what its like to be an adult. i could tell by looking at you that you was ambitious, but reckless and immature. But today... Now, when I look at you, I see something different about you. Something that I respect in young boys today like you," he said to me, staring at me as if he's staring into my soul.
It creeped me out a bit.
"What did you see?" I asked him then swallowed some saliva in my mouth, thinking that I probably won't like his answer.
"You'll find you soon enough. I suggest you and your wife head back home. It's a long walk back to the ranch, and I don't want the four of you walking out in the middle of the road at night," Ellen's uncle advised us.
"Okay," I nodded.
"We will. Thanks for talking with us, Uncle Dale. We'll come visit again! Let's go, Pete."
We then left and headed back to our ranch. In the evening, Ellen baked potato pie for me, then she fed mashed and blended peas to Pete and breastfed Jack before night fell and then we all fell asleep.
Saturday, 18th Of Spring, 1978
After doing our work at the ranch, Ellen, me, Pete and Jack went to Neighbor Town to visit and chat with everybody who is doing nothing but talking and walking around the square, feeling the fresh spring breeze hit their faces. Besides, like Ellen's uncle said, even hard workers need rest sometimes. We hung out with Michael, Ann, Liz, Ellen's mom, everyone we knew who was at the square just chilling in the spring sunlight.
Monday, 20th Of Spring, 1978
While Ellen was cooking breakfast this morning, I was helping Pete practicing on throwing his softball and looking after Jack who was sitting casually on the living room couch sucking on his pacifier. After eating breakfast, I did the usual stuff, and on top of that, I cut all the grass down with my super sickle. I hate to use that thing, especially after eating something, but I've gotten used to using the sickle, though using it does make me dizzy sometimes. I tired myself out today, doing all that extra work of making fodder out of the grass for my livestock. Now I have 413 pieces of fodder stored in the silo. I was all finished with my work, and I was too tired to even hike with Ellen to the mountain, so instead we all stayed at home. Ellen took good care of me, not just Pete and Jack, but also me because of all the work I've done today- feeding my livestock, storing the potatoes for shipment, and cutting up the grass for fodder with my super sickle. A few bites of cherry pie regained some of my stamina back, and in the evening, Ellen, Pete, Jack and I sat in the living room couch, watching television while Derek outside took the shipment of milk bottles, eggs and potatoes with him.
Wednesday, 22nd Of Spring, 1978
While we were eating rice, scrambled eggs and mashed potatoes for breakfast, we heard someone knocking on the door.
"Darling, will you please go answer the door?" Ellen asked me.
"Sure, sure. After all, I am the doorman," I joked as I stood up out of my chair and walked to the door.
I opened it, and there is Mike, standing there with a friendly grin.
"Hiya, Tony! Ready for the Flower Festival tomorrow?" He asked me.
"What? The Flower Festival is tomorrow? What day is it?" I asked Mike in confusion.
I haven't been looking at my calendar lately. Mike looked at me strangely, with a "Um, where have you been?" expression.
"Uh, it's Wednesday, the 22nd, duh," Mike answered, confused of my clueless state.
"Oh, no! I should have known! Well thanks for telling me, Mikey, I'll be there at 3:00 tomorrow, I promise I won't be late!" I said quickly.
Mike removed his bandanna and scratched his head.
"Ooookay...?" Mike said in a confused manner.
I rolled my eyes. "This is the part where you walk away." I told him.
"What? Am I that annoying to you? I thought we were friends!" Mike was surprised I said that.
"I'm sorry, I'm just going to be very busy today, so I don't need company right now," I said in a non-offensive voice tone.
"Ohhhh, I get it. Well, I'll be on my way. See you later. Tell your wife and kids I said hi," Mike said as he walked off, leaving the ranch.
"All right," I said and then closed the door shut.
"Honey, Pete, Jack, Mike said hi!" I called then left out the house.
I fed my cows and chickens, including Koro and Zara, then I watered the potato seeds I planted yesterday. Ellen later came outside with Jack and Pete and we showed Jack my cows and chickens, just like how we did with Pete when he was a little smaller and couldn't walk or crawl.
Thursday, 23rd Of Spring, 1978
As soon as I was done with my everyday farm chores, Ellen and I, along with Pete and Jack headed on over to town at 2:00 p.m. As soon as we got there, we were treated with the fresh, alluring scent of flowers all over the when we got to the square, Ann, Eve, Maria and Nina crowded around me and Ellen, because the were so excited to meet Pete and Jack.
"Ohhh! They are so cute!" Maria said.
"Yes, they sure are. Jack is pretty quiet, but not Pete," Ellen commented.
Pete then squealed then ran for the nearest pots of flowers. "Pete! Where are you going?" I called.
"I guess he's going to smell those flowers," Nina answered.
I looked over at Pete. He seemed so ecstatic about being around flowers, it made me and Ellen smile.
"What a sweetie. He really loves flowers, doesn't he?" Nina asked me.
"Yep. He loves all kinds of nature. I don't know why, he certainly didn't get that from me or Ellen," I said.
Pete then returned to us, and I scooped him up into my arms.
"Um, Pete's birthday is next summer on the 12th, and Jack's is on the 12th of spring, which is next year," Ellen said.
"Nice! I'll remind you to invite us to his birthday party," Ann said.
"Okay, sure!" Ellen nodded.
While Ellen and the other girls were talking about Pete and Jack, I snuck away to the perfumes that Liz is selling.
"Tony. how are you enjoying yourself?" Liz asked me.
"I'm doing great. What are in those bottles over there?" I asked her, pointing at the table where the blue, green and pink bottle were sitting.
"We are selling bottles of some wonderful perfume today. Please pick up what you like," Liz replied.
"Oh, it's not for me, it's for Ellen," I said.
"Oh, well, you better choose the right one, then," Liz said.
I walked over to the table were the perfumes are. I looked at the blue one, then the green, then the pink. Something about the pink one really caught my nose. Smells like rosemary. I picked it up and brought it to Liz.
"Oh, that's the rosemary scented perfume. Smells wonderful and romantic, doesn't it? It's only $1000. Want to buy it?" Liz asked me.
"Yeah," I nodded, giving Liz the money.
Then I returned back to where Ellen and here friends were chatting, southwest from the Harvest Goddess statue.
"Here, honey. I bought this for you," I gave Ellen the perfume.
"Now, honey, didn't I tell you not to... Mmmm, it smells so good... Thank you, darling. I love this perfume," Ellen kissed me, and Ann smiled at me.
"You sure know how to win a girl's heart, stud," she smirked.
I couldn't help but blush. I actually didn't win Ellen's heart, she already belongs to me, I just did a good job pleasing her heart, to be honest.
"Okay, everybody, we are about to start dancing in a few minutes. Please take the time to select a partner so we can get started," Mayor Stan over the megaphone said, standing near his old gramophone.
"That's our cue, honey," I winked at Ellen.
She winked back at me with those pretty brown eyes of hers. Maria and Ann watched over Pete and Jack as we joined everybody who chose a dance partner. Like always, Michael danced with Liz, Stan danced with his wife, I danced with Ellen and Mike danced with Eve. The song Stan decided to play over the gramophone happened to be the Creedance Clearwater Revival song "Penthouse Pauper". Again, normally I like funk songs, but some country rock songs like this one are pretty good. If you ask me, Mike and Eve make a neat couple, and I get the feeling that Michael has a crush on Liz. The next time I speak to Mike, I'll ask him if he liked Eve, because I sure see him dance with her every single festival.
Saturday, 25th Of Spring, 1978
"Rise and shine, Jackie!" I called to Jack as I picked him up out of his crib.
He gave me a sour look like he's annoyed that I woke him up, and he started whimpering like a sad puppy.
"Hey, son why the long face? I just wanted to say good morning to you." I said, feeling bad that Jack is looking at me that way.
Then he started crying.
"Oh no! No-no-no! Ah, help! Ellen! I need help!" I called, resting Jack on my left shoulder as he cried.
Ellen came out of the bathroom with a brush stuck in her hair.
"Here I am, darling." Ellen said.
"Here. I don't know what's wrong with him," I handed Jack to Ellen.
I sat down on the floor next to Pete as Ellen hummed a lullaby to Jack, slowly rocking her body back and forth, and somehow, it actually calmed him down!
I stared at Ellen in amazement.
"How did you do that...?" I whispered in astonishment.
"It's a motherly thing," was all Ellen said and headed off into the kitchen. I looked down at Pete, playing with his letter and number blocks. He noticed me looking at him.
"Did you understand what just happened?" I asked him.
"...Nnnah-ah," Pete replied and continued playing with his blocks.
I laid down on my back looking up at the ceiling.
"Why do I even ask...? ...Ow!" One of Pete's stacked letter blocks fell on my face!
Later, we ate breakfast and I checked the weather forecast on television. It'll remain sunny tomorrow. Perfect. I came outside to do my everyday chores. You know my routine. After doing all that, I decided to go to the mountainside forest and fish at Warren's pond. Several yards behind Luke's house tree, there was Warren, sitting in front of his tent near the pond with a vacant, bored look on his face. But as soon as he saw me approaching, his vacant expression quickly evaporated into a warm, welcoming smile.
"Tony! Haven't seen you in a long time. What's going on?" Warren shook my hand.
"Ah, same old, same old. I'm just here to fish out of boredom." I said.
"Oh, alright. Here's a fishing rod. Enjoy yourself. You can stay fishing as long as you like until dark," Warren said.
I took the fishing rod into my hands.
"Thanks."
Then I walked over to the wooden bench, sat down, and cast the rod into the lake. I waited for 3 minutes until the line was snagged by something.
"Whooo! I got something! Yeah!" I exclaimed as I pulled the rod.
Then with one final tug, I threw my target out of the pond! Which is... an old can of sardines. My face turned dark.
"Sardines... Grrrrr..."
"Hey-hey! Don't be such a bad sport, Tony! Try again!"
Following Warren's request, yet still in a grumpy mood, I threw my line back into the pond again.
This time I waited for about 30 minutes... That's when I caught something!
"Yes! Yes!" I cheered. I pulled my target out of the water! This time its the real thing! A fish!
"Yes!" I took the fish into my hands.
I watched as the fish wiggled.
"Tony, have you ever eaten raw fish before?"
"No."
"Trust me, they're good," Warren assured me.
Looking at the fish one more time, I put it in my mouth and swallowed it. Chewing it wouldn't do any good- it's body is too slippery, and my teeth can't cut into it, so I had no choice but to swallow it whole, and I did, but not with ease.
"So? How is it?" Warren asked me.
I had a slightly sour look on my face.
"I've never eaten raw fish before, but it is pretty good. I better get going. Thanks for letting me fish in your pond, Warren," I gave him back his rod, shook his hand and left.
"Hey, no problem! Come back anytime, you like, Tony!" Warren called as I left.
When I returned home in the evening, 3 minutes after Derek arrived, Ellen had a blueberry pie waiting for me. Yeeaah!
Wednesday, 29th Of Spring, 1978
Man... I worked myself to death today! Not only did I do my usual routine of brushing, feeding and milking the cows feeding my chickens, sorting their eggs, and harvesting the potatoes, I also had to cut a LOT of grass! Do you know how tired and dizzy that super sickle got me from spinning around a lot? Let me tell you, it got me so tired and dizzy, Ellen had to put me in bed so I can sleep for the next 28 hours. Which is a good thing, by the way.
Friday, 1st Of Summer, 1978
Morning. It's raining. Hard. Really hard. I was sitting on the floor in the living room playing with Pete and Jack while Ellen is cooking breakfast. Koro was watching me interact with my sons from under the rocking chair. I was teaching Pete and Jack how to play catch with each other. I held the little red softball in my hand.
"Okay, boys, the first rule of playing catch is to remember one thing: Keep... your eyes... on... the ball." I broke down the last words slowly so they can understand clearly.
Pete and Jack had their attention completely on me, just like how I wanted it.
"Okay, and the second rule of playing catch is to never drop the ball. Whoever drops the ball first is the loser. Now, who wants to catch the ball first?" I asked.
"Da-da! Da-da!" Pete immediately called me while Jack looked clueless as he sat there next to Pete, his back being supported by a blue cushion since he is not as mobile as Pete is. I expected Pete to say "yes", Jack can barely speak yet. No matter. I prepared to lightly throw the ball to Pete.
"Okay, Pete. You ready? Remember the rules? Okay, here we go." I softly threw the ball up in the air.
It made an upside down "U" shaped arc and fell into Pete's hands.
"Nice job, Pete!" I congratulated him.
*BOOOOM!*
A loud thunderclap echoed, scaring Pete and Jack so badly I think their hearts almost leaped out of their chests, and they both started crying. Handling crying babies is not my department, I need my wife's help!
"Oh no! come here, boys. Come here." I took them into my arms, Jack first, then Pete. My ears were nearly ringing from their crying in tandem.
"Hey, hey, hey, come on, its just thunder. I know it startled you and all, but its not going to harm you," I tried to comfort them.
I remembered the pacifier! I took it out of my pocket and gave Jack the pacifier. He quieted down, but I still had Pete to deal with. I stood up with both Jack and Pete in my arms.
"Honey, what should I do with Pete?" I called, raising my voice so Ellen can hear me above Pete's wailing.
"Turn on the television. He loves to watch one of those cartoon shows on Channel 16." Ellen replied from the kitchen.
It wouldn't hurt to try. Setting Jack and Pete down on the living room couch, I walked on over to the television, turned it on and turned the channel to channel 16, then I turned the volume up a little so that Jack and Pete can clearly hear the audio from the television's stereo speakers.
Pete finally calmed down. I nodded in approval.
"Worked like a charm." I smiled.
Minutes later, after eating breakfast, I forced myself to go out into the rain and feed the cows. When I entered the cow house, I noticed that Star's body seemed a little bloated, like she ate too much fodder.
"Star? You okay, girl?"
"Mooo..." Star replied.
I tried to figure out what's wrong with Star, but then the idea hit me. Star is not full from eating too much fodder- she's pregnant!
"Oh man... You're pregnant, aren't you?"
"Moooo..." Star replied.
"Well, hang in there. My wife got through her pregnancy twice, and I believe you can too," I said as I brushed Star's body.
She seemed happy by my words of encouragement. Then I took care of Cloe, Nova, and Jade. Cloe and Jade are now young adult cows, but they can't make as much milk as their older brethren, Nova and Star can. But I can't get any milk from Star right now, not while she's pregnant. Then I left and took care of my chickens. Then next comes the hard part. Fixing fences in the rain. Still, I am grateful that it isn't snowing. I can barely work with my fingers and feet numb from the cold, my gloves don't offer much protection. Fixing the fences took nearly all day because I had to go in the house and from time to time and take a 20 minute break. But in the end I got through it. I just hope the next days aren't so rough.
Sunday, 3rd Of Summer
"Hey, Tony, I want to go to church today, okay?" Ellen called from inside the bathroom as I was putting on my boots.
"Okay, darling," I replied and left outside to do what I usually do.
Oh, as for Star, it'll be 20 days until she gives birth to the little calf. After I was done with my ranch chores, I took Ellen, Pete and Jack to church, just like she wanted. When we were there, Pete and Jack seemed to get bored quickly- they fell asleep right away. I couldn't help but smile. I looked over at Ann at the other side, and I saw that she looked kinda bored, too. I don't blame her or my sons, I don't like to sit at one place for the rest of the day- I'm a pretty restless guy.
Tuesday, 5th Of Summer
"What do you want for breakfast, Tony?" Ellen asked me as she headed for the kitchen.
I was sitting on the floor gently tickling Jack's armpits making him laugh.
"Oh, well, do you know how to make funnel cakes?" I asked her.
"Honey, no desserts until noon. Remember that," Ellen replied like a mother scolding her son/daughter.
"Awww..." I moaned sadly.
Pete and Jack giggled. I frowned at them, but I had a smirk on my face too.
"Hey! What are you bozos laughing at? This isn't no comedy show!" I snapped.
After eating breakfast, I had to do what I always do... In the rain... But at least feeding the cows and chickens is an indoor job!
Thursday, 7th Of Summer
As I was eating breakfast and doing my ranch chores, a thought has been haunting my mind ever since I woke up this morning: Am I doomed to stay in this ranch forever? Am I able to choose my own path in life? Or am I cursed to stay in this ranch with nothing to do except feed animals, and water crops every day? It's not that I'm sick and tired of it, it's just that I'm unsure if I'm able to carve out my own path in life. I was unsure of what my Dad expected from me. Frustrated with my unanswered questions, I headed to Neighbor Town to go see Mrs. Fortune and see if she can answer my questions after I was done taking care of my cows and chickens, Zara, Koro, and watering the growing tomato and corn plants.
"Ah, Tony. Long time no see," Mrs. Fortune greeted me as soon as she looked up from her crystal ball to see me shut the door.
"Hello, Mrs. fortune. How are you today?" I asked almost in a depressed tone.
"I'm fine, thank you. how are your handsome sons?"
"Oh, they are energetic. I can't wait until Jack starts crawling," I replied as I took a seat on the opposite side of the table from Mrs. Fortune.
"Hmmm... I see something is troubling you. May I ask what it is?"
She saw right through me somehow. It surprised me. I guess it was in my voice and facial expression.
"Well... See, Mrs. Fortune, I'm unsure about something."
"Unsure about what?" She asked.
"Unsure about whether I'm cursed to stay on one path in life or not."
"What do you mean?"
"I... I just want to know if I am meant to remain as a farmer or do I have control over my future?" I admitted.
"Hmmm... I see. You want to know if you'll remain a farmer or not, hmmm?"
"Yes, ma'am. Can you check your crystal ball and see my future?" I asked her urgently.
Mrs. Fortune stood up from her chair and walked up to me, adjusting the purple hat on her head.
"Sonny... The future can sometimes be unpredictable. Even the most experienced fortune tellers aren't always accurate in seeing what will happen."
"What are you saying?" I asked in confusion.
"What I am saying is that believe it or not, anything can happen. The future is not a one way road, but I urge you to be careful as you travel down that road. You can't undo and redo the decisions you have made. You might not have the second chance. Think before you act. Remember that. Don't ever think you have no control- you do have control. Just choose the right lane, and make your decisions carefully," Mrs. Fortune advised me.
I barely understood what she meant by me having control of my future, but I understood that anything can happen tomorrow and the days after.
"Do you understand now, Tony?"
"... Yes, some of it. Thank you, Mrs. Fortune. I'm sorry I disturbed you today." I said, getting up out of the chair and shaking her hand.
"Oh, no, no, no. No need to thank me. It's my job to help young boys and girls like you who are confused about life. Keep in mind what I told you, okay?"
"I will! Thank you!" I left and returned back to the ranch to play with Ellen, Pete and Jack all noon.
I also got to eat Ellen's funnel cake! It's her first time making one, but its still good! Especially with the frosting!
Saturday, 9th Of Summer, 1978
I had a lot of work to do today... But at least the tomatoes and corn aren't ripe for harvesting yet- lucky me, because I had a lot of grass to cut down for fodder. Even though the super sickle accomplishes more than my old sickle last year, spinning around like a tornado can really get to you. But luckily I asked Ellen if I could stay out for a while when its dark out so I can finish cutting all the grass. Being the generous wife she is, she gave me a freebie today. Yes!