LETTER 3: Upcoming Releases & The Stallion Savior

No new releases from last week to share!

This week I’ll be releasing my new single with accompanying music video, KEEP YOUR COOL, and my filmed conversation with butterfly expert Dr. Gary Noel Ross on YouTube.

Also, the Hilltop Arboretum is hosting their annual Plant Fest Sale Saturday October 4th from 9am-2pm and Sunday October 5th from 10am-2pm. They are located at 11855 Highland Road, Baton Rouge, LA 70810. If you love plants and want to select from a wide variety of healthy ones, this is your time to do it! They’ll also have an array of vendors selling local art and providing educational information. theBLUEPRINT will have a table out there selling butterfly art from Patrick Henry & Dr. Gary Noel Ross’ new book (signed!). My arborist friend Alec Baxt will also be out there to answer any questions you have about trees!

THE STALLION SAVIOR

About two weeks ago, I volunteered at the Hilltop Arboretum to help set up for this upcoming Plant Fest sale (which is happening this weekend!). After we unloaded dozens of plants from the back of a uHaul driven from Texas, I decided to stay a little longer and speak with some of my nature loving workmates. We discussed the upcoming sale, the plants we had our eyes out for, and our background stories on how we got associated with the Hilltop. I met individuals have been involved for decades, first-timers like myself, and members who support on an annual basis. Learning that members of the Hilltop get early access to the plant sale, being able to come shop the Wednesday before, I swiftly went into the office to sign up (only $50 a year to help support their organization & you get some exclusive perks too!). Having exhausted my social battery for the morning, I decided it was time to head back home…and that is where our story begins!

As I took a right onto Highland road, my music was jamming and my mind was focused on what my next meal might be. I had my windows down, allowing the recently cooled-down weather to infiltrate my vehicle, as I admired the many views Highland road offers. I ogled at the oak trees, stared at the street signs, & was mesmerized by the mansions. Then, as if I entered into a mystical movie, my eyes were blinded by the scintillating light of the sun reflecting off the silky coat of a stallion standing on the side of the street. I was entranced by its trot as my eyes followed its movement along the broken fence line, watching as it stopped to graze on the green grass not readily available in the pasture it escaped from. As the overwhelming wonder of the sighting wore off, I quickly came to my senses and processed the situation at hand…the horse escaped through a broken fence, there was a high influx of cars driving upwards of 45mph nearby, & no one else was stopping to help…I knew I had to intervene before disaster struck!

I quickly took a super-duper safe u-turn at a nearby residence and pulled up to the front gate of the owner’s property. Knowing the urgency of the situation, I rapidly jammed the “Call” button on their keypad, but to no avail. It rang and rang as the seconds passed by, and then suddenly, without even an inquisitive question, the gates opened up for me. Seizing the opportunity, I drove into their estate and up to their front door. I hopped out my vehicle, leaving it running, and bolted to the front door. I rapped and rapped on it while simultaneously ringing the door bell, but no one answered. As my hope for the situation diminished, I turned back to the road to check on the horse, and to my surprise, another Good Samaritan pulled over on the side of the road to help. Being a couple hundred feet away from each other, we began an interpretive display of hand signals trying to explain our stances in the situation, collaboratively coming to the understanding the other was not a member of the horse’s estate and we had to do something to help quick!

He tested the waters, walking up slowly to the horse to see if he could lead it back through the broken gate and into the enclosed pasture, but the horse didn’t care for this attempt of control. As I was jogging back to my car, the horse followed suit & began galloping up and down the fence line, turning around at the natural barriers of the drive way near me and creek on the other end near him. I drove my vehicle onto the gate’s pressure plates to open the gate up, hoping the horse would notice and run back into the estate through the formal entrance, but the sloped driveway and lining flowerbeds allowed no such access. As the horse began to turn around to run back away from the driveway, the man on the side of the road rushed to the broken gate, and using all of his strength, pried it open as wide as he could, blocking the running course of the horse. The horse slowed it’s gallop down to a canter, it’s canter to a trot, and it’s trot to a walk, as it came face to the face with the man trying to save its life. It stared him in the eyes, whinnied, and walked through the broken gate entrance back into the pasture it previously escaped from.

I hopped the fence on inside of their estate and jogged over to the broken fence link. The man and I combined our forces to pry the fence back together and tied it shut with ratchet straps he retrieved from his truck bed, using all the Boy Scout knots we learned to ensure its security. We thanked each other for the help, and shared relief in our prevention of the potential clash between horse and vehicle on historic Highland road. We introduced ourselves, shook hands, and went on our way.

(As we were securing the fence, two of the farm hands drove up to question us and we explained the dire situation. They shared their gratitude with us for our swift action preventing a major accident on their watch. A sheriff also drove by with his window rolled down and said they were getting calls of a horse on Highland road. We assured him the situation was taken care of and he went on his way, thankful he didn’t have to deal with a potentially horrific situation. Thank you to the people that called in! If I didn’t talk with some of the Hilltop helpers or signup to become a member myself, the timing of my departure would’ve been much different and the Stallion Savior story would not be…I find it fulfilling to notice and enjoy such synchronous timing events like this.)

This was quite the “time-is-of-the-essence” nature experience. If you have any similar stories, I would love to hear them - email me at [email protected]! Continue getting outside and interacting with nature, noticing the potential magical moments that make life exciting, and helping out where you can around your community! All the best, SOLEAUX