It’s our 18th wedding anniversary, and apparently the appropriate contemporary gift for the occasion is porcelain. This, of course, ties in perfectly with our Limoges Box tradition dating back to the beginning of our relationship 20 years ago. During our recent trip to Thailand, my wife rekindled an interest in elephants and brought home several ceramic and jade souvenir tuskers. However, I was the only one to actually spot a real live pachyderm out the window of our cab. There was also an elephant sanctuary near our resort, but she had no interest in going there. In fact, we joked about one of her former co-workers who suggested that we ride one while we were in the country. Fat chance.

My wife grew up in Rochester, Indiana, just a short drive away from the winter headquarters of several famous circuses, including Ringling Brothers, Hagenbeck-Wallace, Cole Bros. and Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. In fact, during a circus fire in the 1940’s elephants were running down her home town’s Main street. In addition, monkeys were found on the islands behind her parent’s eventual home on Lake Manitou, nearly a year after the incident. She talks fondly of when the circus came to town and showed me the neighborhood near her mom’s assisted living facility where they would pitch the tents and unload the animals.

To add to our frequent exposure to this fascinatring jungle beast that never forgets, a few weeks ago we went to the movie theater and watched Disney’s latest release of Dumbo. As a result, I decided that her porcelain anniversary gift would be an elephant. I also made arrangements to take her to The Joel Palmer House, an Oregon wine country restaurant for a romantic dinner. Because of its distance from Portland and there would be some drinking involved, I reserved a room at the Atticus Hotel in Historic Downtown McMinnville. When she found out they take dogs, she insisted that we bring our schnauzer pups along. After all, we’ve been away from them a lot over the past month, and we’re getting ready to leave again.

My plan was to give her the elephant and this poem during dinner, but the shipment was delayed, so I picked up some chocolate-covered strawberries (another anniversary tradition from our Las Vegas honeymoon) to at least have something for her to open on our big day:

Forget You Not

Here’s to our love,
And the day we wed.
“Will you marry me again?”
Can’t enough times be said.

This occasion calls,
For a porcelain gift.
A Limoges surprise,
With a hinge to lift.

But it’s not here,
An order delay.
Only this poem,
On our big day.

Our schnauzer pups,
Get to Go.
Joel Palmer,
Will put on a show..

As you well know,
Elephants move slow.
When it gets here,
I’ll let you know.

Your time in Thailand,
Not a Trunk in sight.
But one came home,
On our long flight.

Childhood memories,
Of the circus in town.
You favored the elephant,
Over any old clown.

In a giant barn,
They lived near Peru.
One escaped,
In Rochester, too.

Just like the movies,
A Disney fantasy.
This lovable creature,
Set himself free.

Dumbo’s ears,
Let him soar.
Look out below,
Should I yell “fore?”

Our Atticus weekend,
You won’t regret.
Like the elephant,
I Didn’t Forget.

Wine country celebration,
Love is in the air.
18 years of marriage,
We’re the Perfect Pair.

Copyright 2019 johnstonwrites.com