Pachyderm in Peril

Late Wednesday afternoon we packed up the car and headed for the lake to spend the Fourth of July with my brother and his family. About an hour into the trip, our oldest daughter noticed that she had inadvertently left her beloved "Jumbo" at home. The tears started to flow as she realized that we were too far from home to go back and get him. What would Jumbo do? What would she do? They had never spent even one night apart for the last four years, and she wouldn't see him for a whole week! She was inconsolable. We knew we had a real problem when Lucie started sympathy crying. I didn't even know she knew how to say jumbo. She does. We started throwing out all kinds of ideas and suggestions. Maybe we could temporarily replace her sleeping companion with a new elephant?? NO WAY. She simply must have her tried and true "Jumbo". We were in a quadripod quandary! Once we got her to calm down a bit, we concocted a plan.

It came to be known as the Elephant Migration Assistance Program(El MAP) or was it the Liaisons for Emergency Elephant Relocation(LEER)? Friends of Jumbo United(FJU)?? Well, we never did settle on a name, but we spent a few hours contemplating the possibilities. It was a mission nearly impossible. It would require a whole team of experts, precision timing, and a whole lot of luck! You see, it was almost 5:00...as in PM...as in the post office was closing in 30 minutes. If we were going to remedy the situation, we had to hurry!

STEP ONE: Soliciting some help

The first thing we had to do was to find a sympathetic soul who lived close to home and close to the post office. Who better to call, than Grandma and Grandpa? Grandpa was willing and available. He hopped on his motorcycle and sped toward our home, where the unsuspecting Jumbo was resting in the place of honor on the bed.

STEP TWO: Retrieving the grieving elephant

While Grandpa was en route, we called our dear neighbor and instructed her on how to break into the house. She followed the multiple step process and met Grandpa at the curb with "Jumbo". It was your basic "grab and go"!

STEP THREE: The Mail Drop

Grandpa made it to the post office with only minutes to spare. He explored various options. It turns out that they don't have an overnight delivery to our destination town in Montana. It would take two days. But, Friday was a holiday. The soonest they could get it to Montana would be Saturday. Not good enough. We were spending the night with some friends in Idaho to break up our journey. Maybe they could get it there overnight? YES, they could. But they did not guarantee delivery until noon. Not good enough. Could we pick it up at the post office instead of waiting for the postal carrier to deliver it? YES! So, Grandpa sent it "general delivery" to the small post office in Idaho. With the hope that it would arrive and we could pick it up the minute the post office opened the next morning. All this for a mere fourteen dollars. A bargain!

STEP FOUR: One long night

This plan was not without it's compromises. S-lady would have to go one night without her trusted companion. It was hard. But, she survived. While she slept fitfully, Jumbo was traveling across state boundaries in a large white envelope.

STEP FIVE: The reunion

We were able to track Jumbo's travels via the internet. Once we were sure that he had arrived, we loaded into the car and headed for the post office. It was all very exciting. We told the man at the counter that we were expecting a package sent General Delivery. He checked our ID and looked on the shelf. There it was! We signed on all of the appropriate lines and checked all of the necessary boxes. Finally he handed over the package.








Mission complete!