From John Goodall

bilde, a photo by bucklesw1 on Flickr. Catherine Carden directs Carol, Patty and Duchess When she’s not on the road, Catherine Carden likes to relax at her family farm in Myakka City. It’s a relatively normal household — with three very big exceptions. There’s Carden, her husband and their two sons, of course. And then there’s the three Asian elephants in the backyard. That’s life as Carden has always known it. The seventh-generation circus performer grew up with elephants Carol and Patty. Then she married elephant trainer Brett Carden, and he brought Duchess into the mix. “This has been my life every day for 38 years,” Carden says. The Cardens and their three elephants perform this weekend when Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus comes to Germain Arena. In addition to the elephants, the brand-new show features motorcycle daredevils, a clown, a strongman, acrobats and more. Carden says she’s always been fascinated by elephants. So she understands why circus audiences love them, too. Elephants are practically synonymous with the circus, she says. And they’ve been in the public eye even more lately, thanks to the best-selling book “Water for Elephants” and last year’s movie adaptation (Carden hasn’t seen or read them yet, but she says they’re on her to-do list). “They’re amazing animals, no matter who you are,” Carden says. “And you don’t get to see them every day. It’s not like you’ll find them in somebody’s yard.” Unless, of course, you’re talking about her yard. Showman P.T. Barnum — who founded the circus that eventually became Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey — recognized the audience’s love for elephants. "Clowns and elephants are the pegs on which the circus is hung,” he once said. Carden certainly agrees. “They’re big, they’re beautiful, and they perform so majestically,” she says. “You’re in awe of them.” She laughs. “Clowns are good, too, I guess,” she says.