Harvest Moon 64/Spring (Year 2)

Spring 1st
The first day of spring is the New Years' Festival, so most shops will be closed, and you will have trouble finding anyone aside from the cutscenes. Speaking of, from the first moment you walk out the door, you will be hit with an onslaught of cutscenes, depending on who you became friends with over the winter. If you gave Rick a rare metal, he will show up with a defective teleporter. If you won the horse race, the old couple will stop by to see him, among other visitors. For this first day, since most people have gone into hiding and the shops are closed, after your usual morning chores, go up to the village.

There might be one of several cutscenes here, depending on who you are friends with, so just leave and come right back after each until they've run their course. One cutscene in particular that turns out to be helpful happens when you try to enter the flower shop if you're good friends with Gray. Enjoy the cutscenes, but do not talk to Ellen (who should be bobbing her head in her rocking chair). We'll deal with her a little later. Also be wary of Elli approaching you in the bakery and asking you if you have a moment. If you give it to her, time will fast forward to 5:00pm, and all she will do is ask if you like her. It's not worth an entire day, but if it's getting close to five and you want to marry Elli, stop by and let this cutscene run, otherwise, just say you're busy. After the cutscene with Gray and Popuri outside the flower shop, head to Green Ranch to see the next part of the story. From this point on, these flowers will respawn just like the ones in the mountain, and you'll have a new source of free gifts.

Head out into the mountain and let's see if you can remember the collecting route you used last spring. You will undoubtedly get hit with another set of cutscenes up here as well. Every time you encounter one, simply leave the way you came, then come back until the cutscenes have all played through. Gather herbs, chop stumps, but make sure to get to the town square before 5:00pm.

The New Years Festival is kind of fun in that the goal is to out-drink everyone. If you've been sneaking drinks from the vineyard wine cellar, this isn't much of a problem. Just go around talking to everyone and drinking until either everyone goes home or you must be carted away yourself. Happy New Year!

Spring 2nd-4th
These will be the first real work days of spring. Spring 3rd officially marks one year, which doesn't have any special significance inside the game, but give yourself a pat on the back. For these days, the routine should be dealing with your cows, sheep, and chickens (and making sure you have enough feed and fodder), then digging up a music box (you'll probably have to remeasure where the exact spot is). From here, get up to your greenhouse and water and harvest your crops. When that is done, run by Green Ranch to snag a flower and head up to Rick's to get that music box working again. Find Popuri (probably hanging out near the flower shop), and give her the music box and flower. With all the flowers growing around, getting Popuri to a pink heart should be no problem after dealing with winter.

Last spring, we hoarded up the wild herbs and harvested vegetables because money was a big issue. This year, the goal is to give everything away. If you come home empty-handed, you've done your job right. There's a new fellow walking around Moon Mountain clad in green and constantly talking about an elusive butterfly. He will not matter until later, but if there's an edible herb or veryberry growing next him, give him the gift. At night, grab a handful of flowers from Green Ranch, head up to the bar, and give away flowers to everyone there (including the bartender himself).

Spring 5th-7th
Now that you've gotten into the groove of things, we're going to throw a new chore in: planting a grass field. Head into the flower shop and purchase 5 flower seeds and 20 grass seeds (or as many as you can afford, and head back to your farm. When you've finished the morning chores and grab-and-gift run through Moon Mountain and the village, head back to your farm. The first thing we need to do is till 45 plots for the 5 flower seeds. I know you probably have a souped up hoe by now, but until you have found the spot in your farm where the power berry is hiding, only use single strokes or risk burying the power berry under flowers. When this is done, we'll start working on a grass field. Starting with the two plots of grass we planted last year, start planting grass down toward the watering hole a few plots at a time, but make sure not to cover the music box if you're still working on Popuri. Plant two or three grass plots per day or as often as you can. By the end of fall, we want the ENTIRE field covered with grass.

On one of these days, finish up your morning work and run through Moon Mountain early, but instead of heading back home, go to the village and talk to Ellen. There will be a short scene where she dies, and the day will end automatically.

Spring 8th
Today is the Sowing Festival- the first festival that you will have attended twice! Most of the shops are closed today, so run through Moon Mountain and/or work on your grass field, just make sure to get to the town square before 5:00pm. If you were obscenely lucky enough to find a coin in your cake last year, congratulation! Pick a partner. Either way, you will probably end up going for a ride. If you are good enough friends with all the bachelors in town, the king will likely pick you. Woo! Balloon ride!

Spring 9th-11th
Depending on when you planted the flowers and how often you were able to water them, they should be blooming in the next few days. Stu will come by and tell you how pretty they are, but don't pick any or mess with them in any way. Keep giving music boxes and flowers to Popuri- she should be well into yellow by now. If you can afford the Log Terrace, purchase it, otherwise get the baby bed (I'm not sure why it takes three carpenters three days to build one, but at least they don't charge by the hour). Now that you have a greenhouse and can grow whatever you want, start getting all the recipes that you haven't gotten yet, including the one you get from giving a turnip to the old lady in the restaurant near the summit of Moon Mountain.

Spring 12th-16th
Popuri should be getting close to a pink heart if she isn't already. Focus on getting gifts to the people of town, making use of all the free flowers on Green Ranch. Buy another cow with the extra money you're making from the greenhouse vegetables. Basil returns on the 15th, hopefully with a Power Berry for you. If he doesn't, make sure to give him flowers as often as you can this year, and maybe you'll get it next year. Ann's father will come by on the 16th, so enter your horse in the horse race festival this year, especially if you didn't win the fall race.

Spring 17th
The Horse Race Festival is today, so all the shops are closed. After you finish your morning chores, head up to the town square, getting there before 10:00am. If you haven't purchased the sustaining carrot, get it before your race. Otherwise, enjoy the festival. At least we don't get put to sleep early.

Spring 18th-22nd
Get into a gift giving run groove. Grab 1 corn, 1 tomato, and three eggs. First run right into Moon Mountain and grab the veryberry, edible herb, and flower. Run to the vineyard and give the tomato to Karen's mother, berry to Karen's dad, and an egg to Kai. Run over to Green Ranch and give a corn to Ann's father and an egg to Gray. If Cliff is hanging out here, give him an egg as well. Fill up on flowers here, then go to the crossroads and take the left fork. Give flowers or an egg to the Potion Master, the Midwife, and the Mayor and his wife. If it's raining, the kids will be here too. If Popuri is not at a pink heart, stop by Rick's with a music box, then give something to Saibara. Stop by the church, where most likely you will find the kids and the pastor. If it's the weekend, give gifts to Lillia instead. From here, head to Moon Mountain, and give out gifts about as fast as you can collect them to the carpenters, the fisherman, and whoever else you happen to run into. It will be near 6:00 at this point, so run by the ranch and fill up on flowers before heading up to the bar, and give out flowers to whoever shows up. If you miss a few people every once in a while, that's fine, but try to give gifts to as many people as possible. Save chores like grass cutting for after dark.

Spring 23rd
The Flower Festival takes place today, so all the shops are closed. If you're behind on grass cutting, go ahead and take care of that today. If you have time, chop stumps in the mountain and collect items, as long as you're in the square before 5:00pm. It's no different from last year, except this year, make sure to buy 6 pink cat mint seeds. Basil and Lillia will be selling them in the top right corner near where we bought the Power Berry last year. This is the only time you can buy them, so don't forget! Dance with Popuri if she's still at a yellow heart, otherwise, dance with whomever you plan to marry, which will be happening quite soon.