More Dogs

Ernest Thao is still working hard on his wish to become friends with 15 dogs. So far he has four of his own, and of course he's still friends with the two dogs his parents adopted when he was a teen.
In addition he is now friends with the Bingsley's dog Lilly, Stacia McGovern's dog Sheba and Raphael and Gina Bernard's little dachshund Jimmy, who accidentally wandered into the Thao yard one day...

In spring several new Sims moved into the town (mostly immigrant workers to take up role positions) and one of these families (who all live together in the trailer camp on Romani Isle) is the Hick family. Mama Hick, her son Elden and her daughter Erys (formerly known as Wallflower - she's a Sims 1 NPC created by Frisbud at TSR).
The Hick family have three dogs: Bobo, Leroy and Duke.

After a couple of visits to the trailer park Ernest befriends all three of them, giving him 12 canine friends. There are five more dogs on the island, and he's determined to make friends of them all.

Yi Quan Kim and his wife Wu have lived next to the Thao family for years, so Ernest needs no excuse to visit them. Of course they do think it's funny that he spends more time playing with their dog than talking to them...

Later that day Ernest visits the dog park, but the only dog he finds there is the late Smokey Adams. He still has a good time, though. (The raccoon seems to think he can do better?)

The next day Ernest visits his old friend Raphael Bernard. He's already friends with one of his dogs, but he never met the other, a big terrier-like dog called Rags.
After spending some time making polite conversation with Raphael, Ernest concentrates on getting to know this dog. It takes him all afternoon to make friends with him - especially since Rags refuses to go outside to play fetch and kept walking away to eat or go to sleep on the sofa...

By dinnertime Rags and Ernest are very good friends, though. After a last good brushing, Ernest goes home. However, on his way there he meets Walter Westboro, and they talk a bit.
Ernest decides to go home with Walter. (In other words, he follows him home and rings his doorbell...)
The Westboro family have a big bloodhound-like dog called Desperado. Walter thinks it's a bit childish for a grown man to roll around on the floor playing with a dog, but he takes advantage of the fact that he doesn't have to entertain his guest, and watches the game on tv.

Just before midnight, Desperado decides that he wants to be friends with Ernest. So Ernests gets his lifetime wish. He still has two more dogs to meet, but for now he has to go home, go to sleep and maybe concentrate on his actual JOB for a change!

A birth, a funeral: it's business as usual

The Adams family spent some time rebuilding their farm.

  

The Adams retirement home had some renovations done on the inside, and now has an extra room - with a bit of an awkward corridor leading to the second bathroom.

Judith Adams moved in here. Poor Judith, she hasn't had an easy life. First she lost her husband to a mummy curse, then her daughter spontaneously combusted.

Daniel and Sofia Harrell live on the same floor as Judith. So does Regina (Thao) Mendez.
The Thao twins share the attic.

Elsewhere in town, Sheila and Roger Adams had a little girl. Judith's first great-granddaughter.

Michael and Layla still live in the same house. Here's a random picture of their daughter Nena.

* * *

It was only a matter of time before there would be another death on the island, of course. Both Harmony Bernard and her sister Regina Mendez were well in their 90's.

So it wasn't a surprise to anyone when Harmony quietly passed away in her sleep in the first days of

Yves, of course, was heartbroken.

They decided to have an elaborate funeral. After all, Harmony was known and loved by everyone on the island. She had no enemies at all, and over 50 good friends.
Yves delivered a heart-felt, very moving eulogy for his beloved wife.

And then there was some shocking news. On the day of Harmony's funeral, her sister Regina had passed away as well! Her family were shocked and devastated.

The funeral turned into a double funeral. Colleen took it especially hard. She had a great relationship with her mother-in-law.

Harmony and Regina are buried close together, near the graves of their parents Samantha and Tom. And close to the third triplet, Terra (who was crushed by a Murphy bed some time ago.)

* * *

And just for the sake of nostalgia: this is a picture of Harmony and Regina in Mesa Valley, when they were children.

.

More Community Lots

In the meantime everyone is working hard to repair and redecorate the buildings in other parts of town as well.
At 3 Azalea Drive, across the street from the museum is the new Pretty Kitty cat park, which has a little tearoom.
The tea is free of charge, but of course donations to the local shelter are always welcome.

Around the corner, at 1 Cottonwood Lane, we find Mrs. Wilson's Consignment Store.

And at 2 Cottonwood Lane famer George Dickson has his Farmers' Market. He sells gardening supplies as well as fresh fruit and vegetables, and he has a vegetable garden and a greenhouse at the back of his store.

Next door, at 3 Cottonwood Lane is Mr. Wilson's Pet Shop. (Yes, this Mr. Wilson is married to Mrs. Wilson who runs the Consignment Store.)

Across the street is 4 Cottonwood Lane. Here is where you find the local bank, a bistro, the newspaper offices, a small local business and an architect's office.

There's a central lobby, with the bank to the left and the bistro to the right.

(The bistro rug is in the basement. As is the criminal hideout. (I think my criminals are mostly embezzlers anyway!) Sims can go down to the basement rug and 'eat outside'. When they do that, they will sit down in the bistro itself to eat the meal.

The small newspaper office and the even smaller business office are both located one floor up. (The rabbithole rug is placed in a dark room.)

The architects are at the very top.

The Dickson family are a combination of several Sims 1 characters by Frisbud, and the Dickson family that came with a world called Castaway Cove that I played years ago. I love this family.

Here's Prude Dickson, the local babysitter. Pretty clear who she's based on!

The maid is one of the Dickson clan from Castaway Cove, as is the burglar.

The maid has a toddler daughter called Sweet Pea.