Continuing on the theory of disturbing the bushes causing collectibles to appear, I've been working with my new little family for 54 hours now. I have not played 54 hours straight, but they've been in existence for 54 hours. I played for about 1 1/2 hours when I first started them, and I've been checking in several times a day since. When I first started, I was trying to hold out for a perfect match, so all I had was one little guy. I didn't have the money for a pet, so I've been casting about for other ways to disturb the bushes and it dawned on me: THAT IS WHAT THE RED RUBBER BALL IS FOR! So I have been beating the heck out of the shrubbery with that darned ball. I've been getting collectibles quicker than I've ever done before. I got a cat as quickly as I could, and kept it chased into the bushes. When I finally got him married (I gave up on the perfect match) and had kids, I started praising the kids for all the things I used to scold them for. I've been being the good parent and praising them for studying and doing chores and scolding them for poking the plants, digging in the yard and wasting time looking for bugs. Then it dawned on me that when they do those things, those are the behaviors that would knock down leaves and nuts, scare out bugs and turn out artifacts in real life. I've been beating those poor bushes so much today with pets, kids and the rubber ball that in real life they'd have nothing green left on that lot. However, I've got 40 out of 48 collectibles in 54 hours. I've got the whole picture, which I don't think I've ever had before. I've got all but one coin. I've got all but one nuts and twigs (I misspoke yesterday, I was missing the shamrock and the pine cone and I've got the shamrock now). I've got six bugs. I've never had a game go even close to this well.

Besides all that, now that I know I don't have sit and watch them drag the collectible into the house, my guy has progressed faster in his career than I've ever had one do. He is 40 and just about to get level eight, despite being sued for infringement twice.