Happy Acres

Love is in the air

2008-09-17T08:11:00.000-07:00

Today I started my new job at the hospital. And what a day. And I am exhausted. Between the long hours and the lack of no sleep, I am tired.

Some of the patients stayed up all night playing the new violin I had acquired at the second hand store.
And the truth is, these residents are eating like there is no tomorrow. I bet the delivery lady is surprised about how much food they go through in a weeks time too . Two deliveries a week.
I know I am......

So.....
We fell a little behind on our bills and was forced to sell the piano plus few other furnishings.
I did however purchase a violin. And a nice double bed.

It seems I have been away so much lately that I have missed all the events here.
Some of the patients have become .....well let's say friendly.
Friendly is good right ?? They look happy to me.

I will have a chat with Jaws and catch up and find what is going on with the other residents.
He does however seem concerned with the other residents sleeping habits.
Poor Nitro , sleeps at the table. Of all the residents, Jaws does seem to keep to himself a lot.

He did tell me that there was an arguement going on earlier that day. It seems Sonia and Sissy had a fight. I hope it wasn't over the new bed.
By the sounds of it , I think it was over her new friend Ethan. He has been stopping over to visit with Nitro. And has become really good friends with Sissy. And I think Sonia likes him too. I don't think she is ready to settle down just yet and Sissy is.

I am not sure this is a good idea. Ethan does have a reputation with the ladies. That's what I had heard when I went to a new salon . Mostly from the woman at the salon who cut my hair.
She did look familiar . I had read about her in the paper. Something about living with a wealthy man Chance Cartwright and 6 other beautiful ladies. This kinda surprised me that she was here working from her home.
Anyways, she gave me a new haircut . I wanted to look my best for my new job. I will have to recommend her to all of my friends.

Okay back to the arguement. Looks like I had this all wrong. The arguement did turn nasty and it was over CJ !! Yikes !!

I am confused about Sissy and her relationships. I need to do some group therapy before they turn nasty towards one another.
Opps too late ......

New Friends, Small Fires and New Discoveries

2008-09-03T18:15:00.000-07:00

What an interesting week this has been. Where do I begin.....Let's see.
Everyone seemed to be getting along nicely. I am a bit confused on the dress apparel some of the patients have been wearing, especially the undies . And why ?? I had seen them come with a suitcase and I gave them a comfy gown to wear. Looks like we will have to go shopping.

This will be our first day trip out of the house. Maybe we will stop in that second hand store I had seen in town when I had purchased this house. I hope this will lift their spirits getting out to socialize with the community. I know it would do a world of good to see some new errr ....undies.

NOOOO , it happened .....AGAIN !! YES, another blasted fire in the kitchen. This time it was even stranger than the first time !! When I first smelled the smoke I ran to the phone to call our local fire department. And this is what I had seen.....

And I couldn't believe my eyes !! There was Daphne standing in the kitchen without a stitch of clothing on ..... what in world was she thinking cooking a tv dinner in the nude.

Thank goodness the fire department showed up in time to save our kitchen from burning down.
What mystifies me is Daphne cooking in the nude !? This is not the way to meet men......
Ok Hun, shows over ... I really need to get more information about her. And a fire alarm too.

First things first I need to find some suitable employment.
Ah yes, what fortunate luck. It seems that our local hospital is in need of a medical technician. The starting rate isn't very much but I think we can manage.
I am sure they will be fine for a few hours while I am work , besides most of them are asleep during the day whilst I will be away.

For the most part most of them are getting along rather well. I haven't seen any more quarreling over the sleeping arrangements . I did however see Sonia napping on the floor. I hope she makes it to the couch next time.

She has been spending alot of time chatting on the phone with old school chums and day dreaming out the window. She doesn't talk too to the other residents much but they certainly have taken to her personality. Especially CJ !! I wonder what that is about ???

CJ is still our resident entertainer. He loves to play that piano and tell jokes for hours on end.
I think he is getting very good at it too. The other residents love to rather around the piano just to hear him play his show tunes .
Sonia has taken a real interest in him . I noticed them talking and eating dinner at the table a lot lately. I think there is more going on with those two. One night I came into the kitchen to prepare a meal and there she was holding him. I think they must have known each other before they came here. I will have to keep my eye in them both while they are together.

Sissy has made a dramatic improvement since last week. Her and Nancy have become really good friends. I wonder what they are whispering about ? Maybe she is telling Nancy where she hides that flour sack baby.
I haven't seen her carry around that flour baby in a few days . I still haven't found out where she's been hiding it. Maybe it was in that hole in the back yard ?!
It's good to see her happy though.

Poor Nitro . It hasn't been a very good week for him. It seems his old college buddy , Ethan called him up on the phone and they were reminiscing about old times .Ethan brought up how he had seen his old college sweetheart Andie in town . And he invited her over to his new place for a visit. Not sure what happened between the two. Nitro seemed to take it well hearing about her. But, I really think he misses her.

Jaws is doing better this week too. I see he has grown a liking to Daphne. She does like to carry on an interesting conversation with him. I wonder what they are talking about....odd.
At least he is up and about wandering around the house making new friends instead of sleeping the day away.

I think I have found my true love....Nancy. I have really taken a liking to her. She told me that she wants to have a large family someday. Right now I just enjoy spending time getting to know her. I hope she feels the same way about me too.
But, I know I will have to eventually tell her about my own fears. I hope she will understand.

I knew it had to happen at some point . The plumbing in this house is so old and in need of repair. Good thing I need to beef up my mechanical skills for my new job tomorrow. And it looks like things got really desperate . There's CJ taking a sponge bath in the kitchen sink. I am not sure what the others think of that though. *shrugs*

Well, off to repair that shower . Tune in next time for another update !

Week One : Getting Aquainted

2008-08-14T18:51:00.000-07:00

My new family:

Sissy arrived later that day :

From day one I realized that this was going to be a very interesting experience for me. I can certainly see I will have my work cut out for me. Being a reformed patient I know it will be a long process. I hadn't realized till now that none of them had any cooking skills. So, just as a precautionary measure I will try to prepare a few meals ahead of time. And watch them closely. I am sure they will be fine.

My funds are getting extremely low,and this worries me. I hadn't realized that I had used up all of my savings And I can not afford a good security system or any fire safety devices .
Tomorrow I will see if i can get a job at the local hospital. Or find some kind of temporary employment . I hope this doesn't hinder us till then.

The Patients:

Jaws

This patient's name is Jaws (this is what he insists that we call him). I really don't know what his real name is. He has been very quiet and rarely talks to anyone .He tends to spend most of the day in bed. He even skips meals.And the grabs a quick bit to eat .

I will have to make sure he shows up at dinner time. He is quite content keeping to himself. I think in time he will adjust to his new home.I refer him as the "Day Dreamer".

CJ

This patient's name is CJ. We have no idea what those initials stand for but, he seems like a nice enough fella. He does seem to take a lot of pleasure playing the piano. He evens stays up all hours of the night playing songs for us. Most of the patients seem to really enjoy it too.It certainly brings a smile to their faces. Which makes me very happy to see them all smile. I just hope he takes the time out to chat with the rest of us.

Daphne

This patient's name is Daphne. I was only given very little information about her . She is a mother of 3 children and that she had been involved in a fire . From the town records I found out the house had burnt down. This all I know about her.

Nitrogen

This patient's name is Nitrogen. He came to live with me after college. He said it had been very stressful for him. I think he managed to graduate a whole year ahead of time with high honors. And he mentioned something about a relationship while he was in college. Her name is Andie. I think he is suffering from a broken heart.

Sonia

This patient's name is Sonia. This patient is a complete mystery to me. I have no information at all. She just wandered in here one day and said she needed a place to live. I will never turn anyone away that wants to stay here. Everyone seems to like her here. She certainly livens up the place. I am looking forward to getting to know her better.

Nancy

The next patient's name is Nancy. She has a very compassionate quality to her. I would really like to get to know her better. Her medical background wasn't available to me when she arrived.
But, from my observations, I think she wants to have a family so desperately . Sometimes , I have even see her carry around an old flour sack baby.

Sissy

This next patient's name is Sissy. I think she has the same problems as Nancy. They take turns carrying around that flour sack baby. I have no idea where it came from.
Both of them had a hard time dealing with the fire that broke out on the first day too. It's a good thing Dr.Kreebles was here to dispense the medication and was available to make a house call on such short notice.

The Fire:

Did I say fire .......Ohhh NO !!! Yes ,I couldn't believe it myself at first.
A fire in the kitchen broke out on the very first meal . I think Daphne felt really bad about and then just broke down crying. I would have comforted her but I don't think she would felt comfortable . Maybe once we are friends.
I hadn't realized that some of them had an intense fear of fire. Even one of the neighbors Miss Kat who stopped by to welcome us to the neighborhood became overwhelmed with fear.
It's a good thing Dr.Kreebles stopped by when he did.
Poor Daphne and Sissy !!

I thought I would have been the only one who had this intense fear to overcome.
As you can see I didn't set a very good example. I think it was me who triggered their emotions even more.......
I am afraid Dr.Kreebles will be making a lot of house calls this week. I for one never thought I would have such a reaction like this. Luckily, no one was injured, this time.

So, far it seems that all of them get along okay. I have seen only a few minor disagreements over who wanted to sleep in what bed. And with only one bathroom available does make it difficult keeping up with proper hygiene . I will have to keep up my mechanical skills up just in case repairs are needed. I can't expect the patients to able to fix the plumbing.

All In all , except for the fire, it has been a good week. I would like to encourage them to take a few day trips to help build up their confidence. I told Dr Kreebles that they need more interactions with the public.
He did however warn me that it may have dire consequences. I think he is over reacting. What could possibly go wrong.
I will have to ponder this idea for awhile. I just hope no one notices that I also need Dr.Kreebles medication. Or that they find out I was a former patient not so long ago.

Till next week....

The Beginning

2008-07-29T12:20:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Joe Hardy.
This is my own observations of my time that I have spent here in this institution , Happy Acres.
My dream was to open up my own home to help out my community.
With a little financial assistance I was able to continue my education and finish medical school.
I am a former patient myself and with the guidance of my physician I was able to reach a full recovery.
To be honest I do have an occasional set back but it is fully manageable with help from my therapist, Dr.Viktor Krebbles. I don't think this will interfer with the rehabilitation of my patients who will be arriving very shortly.

Now , my next goal is to find a suitable facility for me and my patients. I would like to find a home to make them feel more comfortable. And I a looking for modestly priced home. But, mostly I wanted to extend my gratitude to my community by opening up a group home for patients that have similar symptoms such as mine. So, with what little cash I managed to save plus some financial assistance from my local town. I was awarded a grant to renovate this home . I searched the local newspaper and found this home listed for a fairly good price. It needs a little fixing up but hopefully my meager income will be enough to get by for now.

As humble and desolate it appears , I think I can make this a comforting home for my patients.
The plumbing is in need of repair not to mention the furnishings are all donations from our local second hand store. But , I think we will manage.
I know it will be a challenge and some sacrifices will be necessary but I think I can be a huge comfort for these lost souls.

Welcome to Happy Acres

2008-07-29T12:08:00.001-07:00

Welcome to my own version of the Asylum Challenge. If you are not familiar with it I will give you a "brief " description of what is involved for this type of challenge.
**Copied and pasted from ScoutSims.**

You have been committed to a run down mental health facility against your will. In order to prove that you are fit to rejoin society and earn your freedom, you must achieve the goal your psychiatrist has set for you – your lifetime want.

The catch? You need to achieve your goal as quickly as possible, while keeping 7 other patients, who you don't know and are out of your control, alive and as happy as possible. Add to that budget cutbacks leading to lack of decent furniture and limited supplies, and you task gets harder.

Remember you can never control the 7 other sims. You can't even look at any of their information after creating them. You can not know their ltw, their current wants and fears, or the status of their motives. In other words, once on the lot, never click on their pic. Also you may not ask them any questions or on a date, take them off the lot or get them jobs. They are heavily medicated patients and unlike you, they don't have day passes.

This is the original link if you want to look at all the details or if you want to create one for yourself.

http://simscout.blogsome.com/mini-challenge-asylum/