Tougher Than a Mountain Man

This is Ruby in her pioneer costume for the Mountain Man Rendezvous today. She was actually standing upright, but I forgot how to change the orientation of the picture. The rendezvous was just like those held in the wild, wild West with Jim Bridger and the gang. The kids played games, had a trading post and listened to a real mountain man in full regalia talk about life as a "real man." He even shot an antique gun.

Ruby has been tougher than a mountain man lately with her crazy infection. After the surgery on her neck, the infection still would not go away. Turns out, it was an evil, drug-resistant form of strep which is now being treated with two different antibiotics; ten pills a day. I even have to take medicine to her at lunchtime, since the kids aren't allowed to bring drugs to school. It's better than the alternative: an IV in her arm for a month. Her freckles drained right out of her face when Dr. Scheuller mentioned that possibility, so I'm glad we didn't have to resort to that. Back in the days of real mountain men, an infection like this would have meant death. Ruby still has a gaping hole in her neck that I have to clean and dress three times a day. Something like that wouldn't heal on its own out on the Oregon Trail. Thank heavens the trails we blaze in this time and place are paved with antibiotics.