A Common Shepherdess

Life has been so busy lately. We have moved and my husband and I are now managing an RV park. I handle the office work. We will see how this works with homeschooling thrown in the mix! We set up a desk in the corner of the office to give the kids a spot to work. The office is connected to the house so I can keep an eye on the kids not doing schoolwork. Summer is the slow season here in the Sonoran Desert. (Today it is supposed to be 113. No wonder people head out of here in droves when summer hits!) Slow means I'm having time to learn the job and get the kids into a routine before it gets busy around here.

Even the locals say it's hot. This is what the forecast looks like for the next week: 99, 100, 102, 104, 100, 100, 100. (The locals also chuckle and say, "Oh, just wait!") 10 ways we have found to beat the heat: Cover roof windows and front windshield with insulated reflectors Block sunlight in the back with a cotton tarp Hang shade fabric from the awning Siesta! Remove the covering from the rooftop A/C so the cold air blasts straight down. None of those sissy vents for us. Chill by the sweet pool Relax under the misters attached to the awning (these are so awesome!) Probably most important is water, water, and more water Get a friend to dump a bucket of water over your head (Don't worry, she likes it!) When all else fails, hang out at WalMart

Outdoor pool Playroom, schoolroom, and outdoor kitchen (note the crockpot) Garden of succulent plants Yep, we got it all!

My husband is a hard worker. He was a union carpenter for about 20 years. A person's body can only take so much physical labor and so many falls from scaffolding before slowing down. About five years ago my husband started selling RVs. Much easier on the body. Of course, those great union benefits disappeared (like medical insurance) but the pay increased a little. Selling RVs during the rainy winter in Oregon isn't a great job. Many days not a single customer comes through the doors. During these lulls, salesmen tell stories of a far away place where it rarely rains and money flows freely...Arizona. After much consideration, my husband decided he wanted to work in Arizona for a winter and see if there was any truth to these tall tales he had heard. So we were faced with a decision. We could all go with my husband or stay home. Actually the decision wasn't very hard. The kids and I are adventurous and we didn't like the thought of missing Daddy for three or ...

Saturday is Donut Day. Every Saturday the managers at our RV park buy donuts for everyone. Friday night before going to bed the kids say, "Donuts tomorrow!" As soon as they wake up they ask, "Are the donuts out there yet?" Even the littlest one can't be left out of the action.

Things can get a little cramped in a motorhome. This evening, however, we girls had the motorhome to ourselves. My husband took our two boys to a barbershop concert. While our 11-month-old daughter amused herself by rolling oranges up and down the hallway, our oldest girl and I had fun eating popcorn (made on the stove top, of course!) and admiring at all the dresses the women were wearing at the Oscars. Our oldest daughter is only three and she thought all the women looked like princesses. I asked if she wanted to wear her Cinderella dress that she got for Christmas. She said, "No, it tickles right here," and motioned to her left shoulder. Sadly, like her mother, it looks like she will choose comfort over fashion. I suppose it wouldn't hurt to dress up more often and look "fancy", as my oldest son would say (as in, "Daddy, was Mommy fancy when you met her?").

The day before we left Oregon for Arizona my husband brought home a little Subaru Justy. He was excited that it weighed about 500 lbs less than the small Mazda truck we had planned to tow behind our motorhome. This light little car has been sitting on a mechanic's rack for over a week now. Something in one of the wheels broke and the mechanic is still waiting for a part. (I'm thankful we are in walking distance of a grocery store, library, and my husband's place of work.) The auto repair shop shares the lot with the RV dealer where my husband works. The mechanic felt badly that our part still hadn't arrived. He offered for our use a white stretch limousine. What would you do if you had a limo all evening? Get a sitter for the kids and paint the town with your husband? Dress up and cruise the downtown area? Get a friend to play chauffeur? If you are anything like us, you would put your four kids (three of whom were barefoot) into the posh car, stop at garage sale...

RV kitchens are not very big. We don't have one of those beautiful RVs with four slides. (We can keep dreaming though!) Considering the area in which I had to work . . . Dinner turned out pretty well! I don't know why I wanted to make all that food. I guess it's been a while since I cooked a big dinner. Since space is limited, I tend to stick with easy meals like tacos!

On the menu tonight: Bayou Red Beans and Rice Chicken Etouffee from The Joy of Cooking Rinse and pat dry: 4-5 lbs chicken parts Mix together: 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp dried thyme 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp ground black pepper 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/4 tsp ground red pepper Rub all over the chicken pieces. Pour into a brown paper bag: 1 cup flour Shake 4 pieces of chicken at a time to coat with flour; remove and shake off excess. Repeat until all the chicken is coated. Reserve the flour. Heat in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat: 3 Tbsp vetegtable oil Brown chicken pieces on both sides, about 5 minutes each side. Remove chicken from skillet and leave about 3 Tbsp of fat in the skillet. Reduce heat to medium. Using a wooden spoon, stir in 3 Tbsp of reserved flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until roux is almost as dark as milk chocolate. This may take as long as...