A night at the Circus

The Circus is a wonderful thing. The Clowns, the High wire, the Strong Man, and of course, the Animals. When I was but a wee young lass, I went to the Circus thanks to my brother, who won tickets at school for some reason. He's not particularly talented nor an academic over-achiever, so who knows. I think it's more likely he took them from the teachers desk when she wasn't looking.

Just the same, he handed them over to my dad, who schlepped my brother and I, and a friend of mine, Roxanna, to the Big Top.

We lucked out and got a bucket of popcorn to share and a bag of peanuts each. The Ring Master in all his glory comes out with his handle-bar mustache peeling off on one side welcoming us all to the three ring circus.

I can vividly recall the variety of animals they had on display. Not just circus animals, but they had Zoo animals too. I don't however, recall if these animals had any special talent, I just remember the animals.

-Fast forward to present day.

The Lollygagger goes to her first Circus. She sits on my feet, waiting as patiently as she can for the doors to open.

It's a two ring Circus, with a youthful Ring Master not old enough to grow a mustache, let alone a handle-bar mustache.

She is intrigued by the clowns and the tight rope, and the jugglers. She claps and cheers at every turn, and stands up for a better view of the acrobats in the rafters.

Finally, the animals. She's been waiting for the animals.

First up: Horses in the ring to the left, Zebras in the ring to the right. She loved the Zebras and couldn't take her eyes off of them. I know how much she loves horses, so I point her in their direction. Nothin' doin'. It's all about the Zebras baby! She clapped and cheered at the wonder of them. When their act was finished, she was ready to watch the horses. The problem was, like the clowns and acrobats, both rings started and finished at the same time.

On with the Elephants. She has a soft spot for elephants. We had one in our little Mayberry town in the wooded mountain top we live on. She was able to hug and pet this sweet little beast at will. Long story. I'll tell you about it another time.

The Elephants took up entirely too much room to limit them to a small ring. Good thing, too. She was able to focus on the Elephants as a single act, rather than one of two different happenings. As it is, she said she needs me to buy her another pair of eyes for the next time so she doesn't miss the horses.

Needless to say she loved the Elephants, and the Tigers that followed.

There was a group of dogs that were entertaining too.

So, why did I feel like I was missing something? What happened to the plethora of animals depicted on he Animal Cookie box? Is that box not a Circus wagon? Is it just a depiction of the Circus of old? What about my own childhood memories of the Circus animals? What happened to the Monkeys, the Ostriches, the Giraffes? Did I have the impression of an endless parade of animals, and believe in the magic the clowns performed because I was so young?

I wonder what she'll remember about her magical night when she's a momma taking her Lollygagger to the Circus? I hope she claps and cheers the whole night, resulting in her little hands feeling numb and tingly all over again.

Hooray for the magic of childhood!