I sure do wish I had read this thread before I wiped out all my saved games. I thought that folder in My Documents folder was the recipe books I had downloaded and couldn't open and therefore I trashed it. My game with all the collectables found and the whole population of 115 villagers was gone the next time I opened the game...I cried.

New question. Is it possible that I trashed one collectable at the same time? In my new game, I have all the collectable but one pebble. I have been at this for about a week now and that one little pebble is nowhere to be found. Have I thrown the baby out with the bathwater?