Thanks fizzlymike, I hope you found the game fun too. It was my first ambitious project.
When you leave the house, your avatar tells you what the weather is like as it affects the growth of the corn. You need a surplus of food to buy cotton and leather at the shop, then make them into boots and a satchel, respectively. Then when you have boots and a satchel, you can open up the mini adventures up the mountain. Hope that helps.