The Trapeze Artist ......by Diane Ogden

 My Grandmothers third husband,  is that fellow with no pants on!  He worked for Barnum and Bailey Circus as a trapeze artist back in the 1930's.  And the little girl on the far right is my Mother. They called her Babe (some still do) but she prefers Alta.  Mother is 81 this year and looks like she is 61.  The lady in the dark pants in front is my Aunt Louella who has passed.  Who cares huh?  I know I know.  I just get a "kick" out of my Grandma marrying a carnie!  I mean come on a carnie?  Those guys scare me.  You know the ones at the local small town fairs running the rigged booths with no teeth, greasy hair, tatoos, and more tattoos.  Back in the 30's the circus consisted of the three legged calf, the fat lady, the midget, trick dogs, hoopers, jugglers, unicyclers, clowns and the main event....the trapeze folks. Whalla, enters one of the Step Grandfathers.  I don't care, I wasn't even born.  BUT here comes the big deal story....   It's 1973ish and I am jet-setting with some of the cities finest when a local judge and descendant of the infamous never known trapeze third husband of my mother's mother with same name "hits" on me hard.  Okay sorry for the lack of a better word.  I am proud to say I refused considering he was married and he was also the judge that decreed me my first and only divorce at that time.  Move onto 50 years from the Barnum and Bailey to 1987.  Same judge......same name.....his daughter, three generations later, introduces me to the devil in a five piece suit with blue eyes and a silver tongue.  One year later the world produced a child indirectly from that trapeze artist, yet of the 1930 Barnum and Bailey Circus right into my life.  I call that spooky connections = and it just keeps on a comin.'