Strawberry Heaven

Case Note No. 4: June 15, 2021   
     Often when I am alone in my stall at night, I long to be with Blush Berri, my Arabian mother, and her father, Huckleberry Bey. They have both crossed the Rainbow Bridge, but they send me messages to remind me that they are always watching over me while I am on Earth. Lately, on sunny mornings, they have been sending me rainbows through the southeast window in my house. Their beautifully coloured spots and streaks land on the folded paper towel Margaret places over the cutting board when she prepares my fresh snacks. Recently she has been giving me chunks of carrots and apples as treats, along with three Purina Oat Apple cookies she offers me at bedtime. Eating fresh berries reminds me of my family members, and I love many different kinds of berries. I was craving a little variety, of the fresh berry kind, and sent her that message.
​     There is a hill made of sandy loam beside my pasture, next to the barn and tent at Horseplay!™. It is like a dune at the beach, complete with beach grass growing on top. It is known as Strawberry/Lupine Hill, because that is where the wild strawberries grow in abundance, at the foot of the stately Lupine plants. Mom loves Lupines (and a related skit by Monty Python that attests to the high esteem in which Lupines are held in some cultures LOL). So in honour of the Lupine plants that are blooming at this time, she made some of her soy tealight candles, in vibrant shades of indigo, violet, and magenta, colours found in her Lupine flowers.                 
    Lupines are poisonous for horses, so even if I could get near them, I would avoid eating them. Wild strawberries, on the other hand...that's another matter entirely. I have keen eyesight, and yesterday I spotted some ripe ones on the hill. Because of the electric fence, I cannot get to the ones that grow there. And so, using my telepathic powers, I put the idea into Margaret's head that she should provide me with some wild strawberries as a special treat, on a very windy day when I had to stay in the barn most of the day.  Being able to see into the past and future, I knew that she had some big strawberries from California in her fridge in the cottage. She found them at the Co-op in Port Hood, and was planning to give them to me. That is a nice treat in the winter, but I wanted a taste of the real thing, grown on the home turf, so to speak. So I sent her that inspiration, and she went out to the hill with her blue-and-white bowl in hand, and kneepads strapped on for comfortable kneeling on the hill. There she found a few special ripe wild strawberries, and added them to my California berry snack. Lip-smacking good!
​     Life is good when you know how to effectively communicate your needs and desires to others who can offer kindness and assistance, especially for the things you cannot do for yourself.
     

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