Author’s Note: This is a new story I thought of and wanted to bring to life. I don’t think there will be that many chapters, but you never know.
The characters are as follows:
Vera Rose – mother
Erin Rose – 17 year old, daughter and oldest sister
Charlie Rose – 14 year old, daughter and middle sister
Kyree Rose – 10 year old, daughter and youngest sister
I hope you will enjoy the story…
POV: Erin Rose, 17 years old
Old Stone Farm included an apple orchard and the many flowers and vegetables we grew and sold. It was summer, so my younger sisters and I spent our days tending to the chickens, cows, and gardens. We also sold homemade bread and honey.
Viewing the farm from above using a drone made it look like it was randomly placed in a remote area.
There were a few houses out our way, but mostly they were small cottages people only visited in the warmer weather because they were on the water.
My great-great-grandfather built the original house, and some things changed while others painfully didn’t.
It was called Old Stone Farm because of the enormous boulders at the water’s edge. There were some not too far out, too, in the crystal clear water. I enjoyed swimming to them, hoisting myself up, bruising my knees and not caring. I would perch for hours sometimes, just to escape life for a while and to dream whatever came to my imagination.
I’m seventeen now, but when I was younger, I would dream I was a mermaid waiting for her prince to come and take her away from this life.
We had cows and chickens, as I mentioned before. It was my job to milk the cows every morning, even in the winter and before school. My two younger sisters collected the eggs. We sold most of those, too, at three dollars a dozen.
Once, my fourteen-year-old sister, Charlie, found an especially large egg. Mama decided we’d keep that one and when she cracked it open, it had three yolks inside! I’d seen double yolks before, but never three!
Old Stone had once had horses, but the barn fell into disrepair and became dangerous after dad died, so it had to come down and the horses had to be sold. My sisters and I missed them dearly.
Now there were more gardens where the horse barn had been.
Mama didn’t cotton to strangers too much and so she’d had hay bales stacked up in the driveway next to the big fountain so people couldn’t drive in. What bothered mama was how strangers would pull their cars in and run over the grass. Sometimes, they backed right into her rose garden! Can you even believe the ignorance of some people?
People now had to park on the main road where we had stands up, holding our goods.
Once I came in from milking, I put the milk in the refrigerator. It would be there for at least forty-eight hours while the cream rose to the top. We would churn the heavy cream into butter and make cream cheese, too.
Just below the heavy cream would be the thin cream, or what some people called “half and half.” We could make cheeses and sour cream from this.
“It’s about time you milked those cows, Erin. You got a late start this morning,” Mama said as she made the bread.
I stood nearby, watching her arthritically bent fingers working the dough.
Vera Rose was a woman who looked much older than her years. Silvery-gray stripes appeared in her once dark hair, and she had a slightly stooped back. It seemed like she aged way before her time after dad died two years ago.
“Sorry, Mama,” I mumbled.
She nodded slightly, not looking at me. If she had glanced up, she would have told me how ridiculous it was to be wearing lipstick, and to take it off. But I needn’t have worried because, luckily, the ball of dough she was kneading was more interesting to her than I was.
“Go see what your sisters are doing. I don’t have time to check.”
I stifled a sigh even though I knew she would instruct me to watch them. I was seventeen, about to be a senior in high school. The first thing I would do after graduation was get off this farm. I was counting on a scholarship to get into college. It had to happen. It just had to.
Charlie and my youngest sister Kyree were waiting for me in the living room.
“Is she in a good mood or a bad mood?” Charlie asked.
She looked the most like our dad with her red hair, freckles and green eyes. Every time I glanced at her, a pain for my dad shot through my heart like a spear.
“What do you think?”
Charlie, whose real name was Charlotte, sighed loudly.
“What do you want her for? You’re gonna have to ask me instead,” I informed her.
Kyree, the ten-year-old, piped up and said, “She wants to go to camp! Please say she can, Erin, pleeeeaaaaaase!”
I held my hand out and Charlie pushed a worn pamphlet into it. Looking it over, it was falling apart from how much Charlie had handled it. Unfortunately, I already knew the answer would be no, but I didn’t want to tell her that.
“It’s awfully expensive. Mama’s gonna say we only pull in enough money to pay for our expenses.”
Even though she wasn’t crying, her eyes swam with tears she was desperately trying to hold back.
“All my friends are going,” Charlie said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve.
How could I make this happen for her? My heart broke, knowing there probably wasn’t a way.
“Let me think on it,” I told her. “Don’t give up yet.”
Charlie flung her skinny arms around my neck and said, “Thank you, Erin! I’ll do anything! Whatever it takes.”
It’s gonna take a lot, I thought, hugging her back.
Special thanks to Bee (Stories by Bee / Poses by Bee) for editing this story.
Thank you so much for reading, liking, lurking, and commenting! I hope you have a terrific weekend!
Credits:
World: You can purchase Hidden Springs from EA for $19.99 HERE
Lot: You can purchase Grandpa’s Grove from EA for 1,710 SimPoints HERE
The Sims games © EA, created by Maxis.
Citation:
Thomas, C. (2023, June 13). What to do with raw milk + the anatomy of raw milk. Homesteading Family. https://homesteadingfamily.com/what-to-do-with-raw-milk/
© 2023 Copyright | KL Hawke & booomcha.com | All Rights Reserved.
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I love lurking around here! I enjoyed the first chapter very much, Kymber. 💕
Thank you so much, Lesley. That means a lot to me. 🙂 I’m glad you enjoy lurking, too. 😀
Always enjoy a good lurk 😁xxxx
I am so happy I have found your blog! It is so lovely. The design of it is awesome! I am starting with chapter one, because I want to start at the beggining of the story. I hope Erin can go to camp! Also, I love that you are a simmer and use the game for the stories! It really has me itching to start playing it again. I have been avoiding the sims for awhile now because of time, I usually just play like an hour on switch games, but now I am itching to play some sims!
Thank you! That would be great! I’d love to know what is happening in your game, if you play again. 🙂 All I have to say is, as long as you’re having fun, go for it!
Dear Kymber,
Thank you for sharing Erin Rose’s story. I was captivated by your vivid portrayal of life on Old Stone Farm. Your writing brings the farm to life so well that I could almost feel the sun and hear the chickens.
Erin’s moments of escape on the boulders by the water were particularly touching. Her dreams of being a mermaid reflect the universal yearning for a different life, which resonates deeply.
The daily routines on the farm, like milking cows and making bread, add authenticity to the narrative. The scene with Charlie finding a triple-yolk egg is a charming detail that adds warmth to the story. Erin’s relationship with her mother, Vera Rose, is portrayed with raw honesty. The weight of responsibility and loss is palpable, highlighting Erin’s inner struggle.
However, I felt that the story could benefit from deeper exploration of Erin’s internal conflicts and motivations. For instance, while we see Erin’s determination to leave the farm and pursue a scholarship, it would be compelling to understand more about her emotional journey and the tensions between her sense of duty to her family and her desire for independence.
Additionally, while the ending beautifully encapsulates the love and sacrifice within their family, delving deeper into Erin’s thought process and the potential consequences of her decisions could add more depth to the narrative. Exploring how Erin plans to balance her dreams with the realities of her family’s situation would provide a richer, more nuanced portrayal of her character.
Overall, your storytelling is remarkable, and I’m eager to read more about Erin’s journey. Thank you again for sharing this touching and well-crafted story.
Warm regards, Mike
Thank you so much, Mike, for your thoughtful comment. I agree with you on what would make the chapter and story better. I appreciate you taking the time to explain this to me.
I hope I can continue to improve, which is something I strive to do.
Thank you also for telling me what you liked.
Happy Wednesday!
I can not even imagine how you put your images on the pages of your articles; you are very talented.
Thank you so much. 🙂 You are so kind. 🙂
I noticed you finished Noble Doubt while I was gone – congratulations, by the way! I’ll be catching up on that one eventually, but I was a little sad because I do enjoy the community feel of keeping up with active stories. For that reason, I’ve decided to start reading Old Stone first, and hope that it’s not also on the point of completion!
ND was getting harder and harder for me to write. I’m not sure why, but I hope if you ever go back to it, it’s a satisfying read. 😘🤍🌺 I’m so glad you’re reading Old Stone.
What happened was, I was writing a story called Love’s Winding Road and my laptop died. I didn’t have the save file (dumb me), so when I got on this older laptop, I started Old Stone. I figured there wouldn’t be that many chapters, that it would be something to just write in the meantime. But I’ve come to love the characters and my other laptop isn’t fixed yet. I plan on writing this one until an end feels natural, which it doesn’t yet. 😀 (I am a pantser, or someone who writes by the seat of their pants! LOLOL)
A “pantser” haha I love it 😂 I’m sorry to hear about Love’s Winding Road, I remember seeing notifications for it and the title was very intriguing! It sounds like you think you’ll be able to get it back eventually though so that’s good. Great that it gave birth to another story though, and I’m pleased to hear it’s still very much ongoing 🙂 I’ll be sure to let you know what I think about Noble Doubt when I find the time to read the rest – I think I stopped around the end of Gen 4/start of Gen 5, but it’s been so long I’ll probably just start again from the beginning.
Hello. My name is Kymber and I am a pantser. LOLOLOL 😂😂 I swear, I need a pantser anonymous group. LOLOL 😂
I am thinking I’ll have access to Love’s Winding Road, I just don’t know when. I really felt weird not writing SimLit, so there we have it. 😀
You are so sweet to read ND again. I am looking forward to finding out what you think of it. xo
Pantsers United 😂
I’m happy to hear you feel weird writing simlit haha, that means you’ll probably continue writing it for a long time! And looking forward to reading Love’s Winding Road when you eventually regain access to it. It makes me really happy to know that at least one of my old favourites is still around and kicking 🙂
Also, I can’t tell you how happy I am that you’ve returned. 🙂 xo
WordPress needs a “love” react, “like” doesn’t seem to cover it here 😭❤️
Kymber, I enjoyed reading this first chapter. Meeting the characters and assessing the home situation leaves me with a questions and thoughts. I will check out the next chapter later.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the chapter! That’s awesome! Thank you so much for reading, and for letting me know. That’s so kind of you.
I’ve never seen a clean and tidy looking farm as the one in this picture. Are we going to be witnessing a Dorothy leave home scenario in your story like the Wizard of Oz?
LOL While I think that would be a great deal of fun, I’m not sure I could manage it. haha 😀 Thanks for putting a smile on my face.
I enjoyed the first chapter! Found out about this through a Sims Community News post that discusses Simlit.
Hello! And thank you so much for your kind words! I had no idea Sims Community News gave me a shout out. How nice of them; I will go there and thank them.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the chapter. 🙂
Your story and associated pictures make for a powerful sense of connection with the young female characters.
Thank you so much for your kind words. I’m glad this resonated with you. 🙂
Will a prince or college scholarship come? Can her younger sister go to camp? Will Mother ever smile again? Will the cows get milked? We anxiously await the next installment! 😀
Hahaha! Thank you so much, Jonathan. 😀
Just getting ready….!
I love it! 😀
😀 <3
A lovely start to the story, Kymber. I enjoyed the introduction to the family and already have a good sense of them. Nicely done!
Thank you so much, Diana. 🤍🌺 I’m glad you enjoyed the beginning of this story. I hope you will continue to enjoy it. 🙂
Loved the read!
Thank you so much! I’m really glad you liked it!
What an interesting story so beautifully written. I love visualizing in my head what is going on. The colorful pictures adds so much.
Thank you so much, Thomas. 🤍🌺 I’m so glad you like this. I can’t wait to see where this story goes. I have a general idea, but I can be a bit of a pantser, too. Do they still call it that? lol
Have I ever mentioned how much I love your stories? Still to this day I find myself going back to Noble Doubt, then you pull a new story out of your hat! This one was bittersweet because these ladies are working hard to make ends meet.
Oh, Hilly, you’re just the sweetest there ever was. I was hoping you’d see this story because I think you’ll like it. At least, I hope you will. Keep being who you are, sweet chickie. xoxoxo
EEEE! A farm story! I hope there will be more. So I’m guessing, after they take all the cream out of the milk, they are drinking skim…yuk! Okay, not important I know. Pics are so good. I love the look of the sims, but too bad they are all so sad. Down on their luck sims doing the best they can to make a go of life, but dragging them down emotionally.
I’m planning on more, Bee! 😀 Thank you for editing!
LOL @the milk.
You’re so right about the mood, but hopefully, things will look up for each of them as the story goes on. 🙂
I can sense more chapters unfolding! Your beautiful offering is a perfect summer read…
Thank you so much for your kind words! I really appreciate it and hope you will continue to enjoy it.
I’m hooked!
YAY! That’s what I want to hear! Thank you! 🤍🌺
Reads like a little slice of life. So many families face these same situations. Hopefully it will work out. Let me know!
Thank you so much, JC. I’ve been working on where this story is heading. I hope you will like it. 🙂
This looks super interesting! Ah, life on the farm isn’t easy. Here you’ve got a single mom trying to hold things together, daughters who want to fit in with her friends, and an oldest daughter who desperately wants to get off the farm and make her own life. So many directions this could go. Looking forward to reading more. You’ve got me hooked. 😆
Thanks, Nise. I’m so glad you’re hooked! I’ve been putting a lot of effort into where this story will go. 😀
What an unhappy family. I enjoy the love between the sisters.
Thank you, CT. Hopefully, thinks will get better in their situation. 🙂
Wow Kymber this is a really good story!!!!
Thank you so much, my friend! I hope you will enjoy how it all unfolds. 🤍🌺🤍🌺
Looking forward to it!
🤍🌺🤍🌺
Well written beautiful images I enjoyed reading. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much. I’m really glad you enjoyed my story.
You are welcome l love reading good stories. Please email me when you do new ones.
Thank you. I put new chapters and posts out about twice a week, but almost always on Saturday at 10 am (EST). If you’re signed up through email (there is a place to do that in the sidebar on the right), you’ll be informed through email.
Again, I’m so happy you’re here.
Thanks
Starting a new story is such an exciting thing. Kudos, Kymber. Hugs.
Thank you so much, Teagan. I’m really excited about this story. Sending you hugs, too. 🤍🌺
I love how seamlessly you weave fantastic images in with a riveting storyline, Kymber. Love this. Have a great weekend. Huge Hugs 🤗💕😊
Thank you so much, Harmony. 🤍🌺 You are so kind with your sweet encouragement. You have a great weekend, too. Hugs! 🤍🌺🤍🌺
Lots of families like that, aren’t there. I fell right into this storyline.
I’m glad you thought that about lots of families being this way. I wanted it to feel realistic. 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed the story.