Broke - Week 7

Click here for week 6 at this household. There, you'll also find a brief summary of the history of the McGreggor farm, where we are now going to spend a week.

Leod McGreggor was the original farmer here - his portrait is still in the master bedroom upstairs, as well as that of Brandi (formerly Broke), his wife.

The sole human at this household is someone we've already met briefly this round: He was a guest at his younger brother's wedding to Pauline Aspir.
The graphics bug responsible for Beau Broke sitting in mid-air is just one of several problems on this lot; I'm afraid I will have to give up the farm for good.
Beau is Brandi's second son. His older brother, Dustin Broke, ran a successful architectural business with his wife, Emily Lee, and had a half-Alien son, Lee. Sadly, the entire family perished in the flames of a house fire years ago.
Beau's younger brothers are the twins Brent and Benvenuto. Ben married Pauline and lives at the Aspir house now. Brent married Sandra Roth and went to live at the Roth house, once again with a bunch of dogs. Sandra and Brent have vanished without a trace; they still show in some Sims' relationship panels but can not be reached by phone and do not appear to be living anywhere in all of New Maximiliania. I have tried to "find" them via SimPE but so far have not been successful.
Anyway - back to Beau: He reached his lifetime want 15 days from Elderhood when he became a World Class Ballet Dancer.

His stepfather Leod's three dogs are still around and share life on the farm with him: Toto...

...Abby...

...and Goldy. They all contributed toward Leod McGreggor's LTW of having six pets reach the top of their carreer. Now they are allowed to stay home and just enjoy life on the farm.

Beau has never really been a farmer - his heart was always set on dancing. It shows in the condition of his vegetable patch and orchard.

On this Saturday (the week at this household has always started on Saturday), Mr. Reaper pays a visit at the barn, where the dogs are housed. Toto was well over 30 years old, and it is time for him to play his very last game of fetch.

Beau would like to have clean and tidy surroundings, but the farm is a bit too much for him, I think. As he is on Permanent Platinum, I tend to let him do what he wants, and sometimes he does a spot of gardening (not on the vegetable patch or the orchard, though). I still make sure the dogs are fed and bathed, of course.

Sunday morning, Beau takes a long hot comfortable soak in the bath tub.

Does this remind you of something...? Yes, another cleanbot running amok! I've had enough of this already at the Baldwins' house and therefore decide to have Beau turn the bot off and repair it. However, he can not turn it back on afterwards - the bot seems to be stuck half-way in the decking. I try to place it somewhere else, but to no avail. Just one more example of the small issues with this lot. I end up "selling" the cleanbot and wait for Beau to start cleaning up the mess.

Paola Picaso jogs past on a run through the neighbourhood and is greeted by Beau.

He may not be the kind of dog person his stepfather was, or his lost brother Brent, but he spends time with the two remaining dogs, and they have long come to accept him as their master.

By Monday morning, the piles of trash on the decking have begun to smell. Beau hates it, but seems to be unable to do anything about it.

I think he really misses his brothers, because he decides to sleep in one of their beds in their old nursery. All his life, Beau was part of a big family. Living on his own, with the added responsibility of the farm, does not make him happy at all.

On Tuesday, he enlists the services of a gardener, cleaner and pest controller. Money is not an issue - at somewhere around 250.000 Simoleons, this World Class Ballet Dancer can easily afford the help.

Old friend Romeo Monty happens to walk by and receives a warm welcome. I am not sure, but it could be that they went to uni together.

Later at night, Beau seems to be pondering his lonely life, missing his dead family members - or maybe even wishing he was dead?

The world looks a little brighter on Wednesday morning. The water wiggler is really useful, because it means the dogs mostly take care of their hygienic needs themselves.

All Sims this round will have to visit at least one community lot during each week I play them this round, and Beau is no exception. He has rolled the wish to dance with someone, and so I send him to Club Dante.

However, he is the only Sim in the bar and restaurant, apart from the bartender, who points out that "you're my first customer today, Sir!"

Beau has a drink, waiting for other people to appear, but the club remains empty. Nobody comes to play at the pinball machines...

...or to dance.

Therefore, after a while I send him to the My Muse - Music and Dance studio where he'll hopefully find someone to dance with. (Do you remember that he is actually involved with Desdemona Capp? She has a child with him, a son, but all week, Beau never thinks of her, and she never rings or comes by.)

Edith Lawson, who runs the studio, is happy to dance with a World Class Ballet Dancer while the DJ is enjoying some time on the dancefloor herself, since Officer Centowski has taken over the turntable for an hour or two.

Back home, his fellow New Maximilianians seem to want to make up for never turning up at Club Dante. First, Deirdre Dreamer comes visiting...

...followed by her younger sister, Dora Dreamer...

...and Gordon Greenman. Beau positively thrives in the company of others. That's what he's been missing!

When he wakes up on Thursday morning, he finds winter has returned - although it is already the middle of spring, it has been snowing during the night.

By the time he is up and about, ready to greet Serva Pleasant, the snow has already melted.

Mickey Dosser, husband of Jessica (formerly Pilferson) and another old friend of Beau's (from uni, possibly), pays him a visit later.

Lighting the fire seemed to be a good idea on that chilly spring evening, but the Persian rug catches fire. What could have turned into a catastrophic end for this week only results in some Sims badly needing a bath, as a fire alarm has been installed long ago, and we all know how reliable and expert at their job the firefighters of New Maximiliania are.

It is the last day of the week at this household, Friday. Beau can't wait for the cleaner to arrive and has started sweeping up the ashes from last night's fire while still in his pyjamas.

He has to perform that night at the theatre, and when he gets off the limousine, he feels a little creaky. Has he been overdoing it on stage?

No - he's turned into an Elder today!

Will Beau remain on his own with the two dogs, or move somewhere else - the Senior Residence, for instance? Is he ever going to see the mother of his son and the boy again?
We'll see!