I haven't gotten the golden shovel yet either. I've helped him at least 20 times going by the nook miles card and that was back in October. I definitely feel like I've helped him more than 10 times since then, but who knows lol.
Permanent villagers: Genji, Hornsby, Ankha, Diana, Dobie and Merengue.
Leaving at some point: Pashmina, Maddie and Vivian
Unsure of: Zucker
I really like Zucker, but I had my mind set on Lucky to go along with Ankha. I kinda don't want 3 lazy villagers, so I'm not sure what I'll do.
The mush recipes were the first time I really had trouble getting them. I don't remember any of the other ones taking as long. Hoping the winter ones won't be the same way!
I still haven't uploaded mine! My island is a big mess. I have where I want the houses and shops to be, but I need to plan out everything else. Plus I have a ton of flowers to move around.
It's definitely scaring off a fish for me. I still haven't completed the cast master achievement yet. The highest I've gotten is in the 60's I believe.
Like a lot of other people, I have the fossils and fish done. Just need the dung beetle for bugs and a handful of deep sea creatures left. And I definitely have a long way to go with the art lol.