I awoke this morning to a pleasant surprise. Mayor Lewis had stopped by earlier in the morning and slipped 15 parsnip seeds under the door. I hate to think how early he must have been up, since I was up at 6. Just another day at the office. Or farm… I guess…
There is a LOT to do here. I mean, unbelievably lots to do. I’d guess it’s been around 5 years since great grandpa passed away, and the Running J hasn’t aged well since then. The first task, I figured, was to clear out at small section near the farmhouse. It’ll take months to get the whole farm in shape, but this way I’ve got a bit of space to work with.
Once I had bit of space cleared, I got those parsnip seeds from Mayor Lewis planted post-haste. The sooner I could get those babies in the ground, the sooner I’ll have a crop, right? That’s what I would assume at least. I could be wrong, I am pretty new at this farming thing.



Those first 15 seeds were a nice start, but the little harvest I started felt a touch lacking. So I mustered my confidence and headed off to meet the clerk at the local market.
I’m not normally a very outgoing person, and honestly, I hoped I wouldn’t run into anyone on my trip. So when a gentleman stepped out of the office next to the store I was so unprepared I just couldn’t introduce myself. I hope he doesn’t hate me for that.
As if that weren’t enough, just as I reached for the door to the store, a woman came out. I mustered my courage, not to have another incident like the last, and met the kind woman, who’s name is Marnie.



I hopped inside the store, which is called Pierre’s, after the name of it’s owner and clerk. For a small store in a small town, it sure seems like everyone congregated there this morning. After meeting Pierre and picking up 12 more parsnip seeds (seeds are expensive!) I met a woman named Abigail and another by the name of Leah.
By the time I left the store, I was ready to spend the rest of the day at the farm. I’m glad I’m meeting people here, but being an introvert makes meeting new people such a draining experience. After I got back, I planted my new parsnips alongside the ones Mayor Lewis gave me.
I thought about cutting down one of the trees that had sprung up to use for supplies, but meeting so many people had me feeling way to drained. Maybe I’ll get to it tomorrow. Instead I went for a short walk to try and clear my head. I kind of wish I had brought my old fishing pole with me. Fishing would be a nice way to wind down here. But, as things are, I don’t have it, and even now, as I’m writing this, it’s only about 8:30, but I’m exhausted. I think I’m going to just put down the tablet and go to sleep. I’m going to need some good rest if tomorrow is going to be like today.