After the big birthday bash last week, their lives continued to be difficult. I worked hard to get Elliott’s mood up high enough that he would (begrudgingly) work on his homework.
I still have dreams of Cooper becoming a twee indie candle designer, but she needs more “bits and pieces” first. You can get them from a recycler, but that boosts your eco footprint, and we can’t have that, because it would ruin my grim industrial dystopia a e s t h e t i c.
The other way to get “bits and pieces” is by dumpster diving.
As she was up to her armpits in garbage juice, I noticed I could also click on the dumpster and choose the interaction “Make friends with flies.” Obviously I had to try it.
It didn’t go well!
Actually, I got lucky. I later learned that the Eco Lifestyle pack includes a new death: Swarmed By Flies.
Later on, I thought it might improve everyone’s mood if they had clean laundry to wear. Unfortunately, when you’re living off-grid, you have to do laundry the old-fashioned way.
It didn’t improve Cooper’s move, that’s for sure.
It’s fun to see how all the various packs interact. The laundry tub and overall laundry mechanic comes from the Laundry Day pack. But it includes off-grid options (the hand-wash tub and line dry) for those using the off-the-grid feature from the Island Living expansion pack.
We had some success having a fun family night around the shipping pallet bonfire in their back “yard.”
Watching them morosely roast marshmallows gave me an idea. Clearly what the Splines need is a proper family vacation! And I know just the place.
I rented them a cabin in Granite Falls, the woodsy camping vacation world from Outdoor Retreat.
Personal aside: Granite Falls is also a small town in Washington where a few small branches of my family have lived over the past 100 years or so. It’s not as big in our family’s history as Concrete, WA, but it’s close.
I’m impressed at how well they managed to capture the feeling of a rental cabin at a remote Northwest campground.
Like I can practically smell this place. Musty, stale wood smoke, maybe just a hint of mouse pee.
The guy wandering the campground in a bear suit was a perfect touch!
I like to imagine he’s not an employee, he’s just a furry who comes here to camp and embrace his fursona. (Please no yiffing in the public showers.)
Summer turned into fall while they were on their three-day vacation, so I created some cold weather looks for Elliott.
All three of them had a fabulous time, but eventually it was time to go back to Evergreen Harbor.
I discovered that Elliott could make candles at the candle-making station, even though Cooper still couldn’t. (Not sure if it’s a glitch, or I just don’t understand how it works.)
Careful, though – that wax is hot!
In the end, he proudly created a basic dipped candle. And just like in real life, I had no idea what to do with it.
This is giving me real nostalgia feels for the time I went on a candle-making kick. They’re so fun to make! Unfortunately, there are only so many candles a person needs, and only so many candles a person’s friends and family are willing to accept as gifts.
Call it the Friendship Bracelet Paradox: Everyone likes making friendship bracelets, but no one actually wants to receive or wear one.