The Circus Capital of the World: Sarasota, Florida

 

Florida! The perfect place for circuses to settle for winter!

 Sarasota was the Circus Capital of the World.  The animals that were part of the circus world needed the same care as any person. 

It was where the traveling circuses came to renew themselves and their performers to create. Some of those people decided it would be a fine place to live and retire.

Please be patient and read this if at all possible. It is extreme, using comparative phrases. It is what it is.     

Dr. Henry, veterinarian,  provided treatment for a wide assortment of animals, from big to small, mammals or birds or reptiles, owned by the population. 

The line to the office wound out the door and around to the parking lot, where a huge circus tent was set up for larger animal patients, as well as curious tourists from all countries. Their tickets were only $5. 

Assistants who worked with Dr. Henry could never be chicken hearted. Linda had been a high wire performer but retired to help in the vet's office. She was always as busy as a bee.

 As always, his patients were never the same usual animals. One owner Nancy, who had been acrobat, brought in Lady as happy as a dog with two tails could be. Dr. lanced the abscess under the anus carefully, avoiding the two tails that whipped around with happiness.

Next came Goofy Bill, who had been a clown, holding his cat Fluffy, whose claws got his tongue.  It wasn’t pleasant but Fluffy survived

The third owner was Lucy the Limber contortionist, with mildly sedated bison Melba, which was taken to the tent. There Melba had a whale of a time chasing other pets who didn't stay away from the heavy enclosure that held her. 

All the locals (who hung behind an iron bar security fence) were in the tent taking bets on who would be tossed in the air first. They were not terrified too often.

The fourth patient was a hybrid blend of a wolf and sheep, owned by the bearded lady, Princess . No details were given about the wolf in the sheep’s clothing creation or what brought it to the doctor. No one wanted to know.

And then, came the retired circus leader, Major Windy, with his pet elephant, Melody.  No one could ignore that elephant in the tent.  

By that time the whole town was crowded in the tent watching to see if the bison would chase the elephant.  How it ended, no one knew since they were all running for their lives.

At the end of the day as Dr. Henry closed the door he smiled. It had been another rewarding day. 

The alligator didn’t come but would tomorrow. He smiled. Oh how he loved his work.

Many thanks to any reader who managed to get through the story that came to be by using unusual sentence fragments. 

The italicized segments are from Elephant's Child (who sadly passed away this past year) who managed to find or any findable words to challenge bloggers in Blogger world.  Did you have ants in your pants, with each passing sentence? So silly to write that, but the whole post is like that.

I really enjoy challenges like these. These strangest words always provide lots of entertainment for me as the writer. 

 These are the gourmet from which to choose:

the elephant in the room;     as busy as a bee;     as happy as a dog with 2 tails; chicken hearted;     a wolf in sheep's clothing;     cat got your tongue;     having a whale of a time;     ants in your pants

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