More Platlets and the counts drop

Three days has passed since I wrote on the blog. Times flies when you are also not having fun. The walls of the studio are starting to close in and fells like it is smaller and smaller. The only way to make it feel bigger is to keep it neat and tidy which is not easy since it is small. Things have the ability to multiply on the limited counter and desk space. The backs of chairs seem to accumulate more clothes as well as unread and read newspapers on top of Max's kennel. Finding the motivation to tackle the chaos is lacking and there is always tomorrow.

Thursday was an off day from medical visits so we wanted to take advantage of it by taking a road trip to the Gulf of Mexico. The morning in Houston was gray and rainy with more rain in the forecast for the day so I wondered whether it was a good idea to do the drive. We left the hotel at 11AM with Max in the back seat. Max loves to travel and when we say, " Do you wanna go bye-bye?". He stands straight up and heads to the door. Max is a great traveling dog. Joe needed to have his Starbucks coffee and I thought that would be easy to do on the way to the Gulf especially since it seems there was a Starbucks on every corner but it turns out when you want one, you can not find one. I thought I knew where one was off of US59 but I never saw it. I drove around the area for 40 minutes before finding a Starbucks. There were no parking spots so I let Joe run in as I circled the block three times before he came out into the rain. I wondered whether we should just turn back and call it a day since it did not start well and also since the rain was coming down harder.  I decided to still keep the plan.

At the dog park someone told us where to find the best place to have a dog run on the beach. They told us to head on 288 South and go till it stops. Most of the way was like an interstate highway before getting closer to the shore. There were no signs telling us how far it was to go so we kept going and going. There was no traffic and as we got closer to the coastline, the rain was thankfully dwindling. Lots of oak trees and pastures of cattle were by the road. Yes, there are really some very "long" horned cattle but also some Black Angus.

We finally made it to the town of  Freeport which is the town near the coast about 2PM. We stopped to get gas which was a stop gate for people buying money orders who looked a bit scroungy looking. We keep on 288 until there was no more road but no beach either. The road ended at a refinery. My instinct took over and I turned left until I saw a sign that said Surfside Beach and Galveston where I turned right. Over the intracoastal waterway bridge we climbed and we saw the large surf of the Gulf of Mexico. There was a weathered Surfside Beach sign with some monstrous sand moving trucks moving in and out of the sand road. It seemed that was the place to go and so we did. Wow, it was beautiful with rows and rows of waves coming off the Gulf with clear blue skies and mild temperatures. Max did not know what to make of all the wide open space and the waves crashing onto the beach where we were parked. There was a sign that said there was a $10 parking fee to park on the beach but there was no one around so we just parked. Max ran around and around and followed me into the water to get my feet wet. The water was not too cold. Joe loved breathing in the salt air and knelt down to pet Max to take in the moment. It was a happy moment for all three of us. We stayed there about 30 minutes before we decided we were hungry for seafood. The beach does that to you. The one place to eat at Surfside

The Atlanta Falcons were playing the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night on national TV at 7:30PM this we were prepared to snuggle in the studio to watch the game. It was not on TV. Shamefully it was on the NFL Network and not available to us. I called around and found the game was at Applebee's on Westheimer. I had no idea that Westheimer was so long and that it went all the way to New Mexico. Thirty minutes later we found Applebees which was jammed pack with Veterans for their free Veterans Day meal. The bar was full but a Vet gave up his seat for me. Joe bought him a drink as a thank you and the Vet bought me a drink. Joe and I had a lovely time with the five vets seated near us. They thought I was hysterical as I watched the Falcons beat the Ravens. I tend to get deeply involved with the emotional part of the game. It turned out to be an unexpected great time.

Saturday was a day of rest. We slept very late that we had to eat lunch instead. We watched some football and we both took a long nap but we were still able to watch Georgia get beat by the Auburn Farmers. LOL. Dinner was at Cafe Moustache which was French. The place had ambiance with the good piano player. Service was nice. I had a great meal but Joe did not like his. Oh well! Now we are back "home" watching the Gators get slaughtered by South Carolina Gamecocks who are coached by Steve Spurrier. I must say that Spurrier has made a winner out of the Gamecocks who were the whipping boys of the SEC forever.

Tomorrow we will attend the 11AM service of  St Philips Presbyterian around the block then have lunch followed by a day of NFL football. I may sneak out and get my battered nails done.

Joe still has a great attitude although he is weaker and going bald rather slowly. His white soft fuzzy hair is kind if cute to me and he has just enough hair to look like he has some hair. The hair on the back of his head is pretty sparse but I think he can wait a week before having to shave it off.

So our powerful Prayer Army please continue to pray that Joe's blood counts recover so that he can lead a normal life. Pray that infections stay away. Pray that he stays safe from cuts and internal bleeding. The Lord has been so good to us. I hope He does not mind us asking for Joe's good health to come back.

Ciao!