I am a board certified/board eligible Family Practice physician.
I am female.
I am divorced.
I have two children, born in 1992 and 1997.
I love nonsense poetry.
I am a jitterbug and six count swing dancer. Also some tango, salsa, clogging, cajun, I remember one tap step and anything else I can pick up.
I have what used to be a brown belt in Tae Kwan Do but apparently they have turned red.
I am a Christian buddhist lapsed atheist Unitarian. Because I am Unitarian, I can also be a Flying Spagettian at the same time. My Unitarian Jihad name is Mother Superior Cat-o-nine-tail’s of Harmony. It doesn’t really make sense to me either, but I keep searching for Rumi’s Beloved.
I am a generalist and am interested in everything.
I write poems, prose and fiction, but since I was tiny, I assumed that everyone wanted to be a writer and especially poetry. I’ve been assured that I am wrong, but I don’t really believe it.
Like my mother, I believe that everyone is an artist.
Like my father, I believe that everyone is a musician.
I was raised with folk songs and masses, and have the words memorized to between 300 and 500 songs. If I ever get dementia, the other residents will beg to have me drugged or will smother me with a pillow, because I will sing all the time.
Because I memorized songs as soon as I could talk, I have a weird and well developed memory. Oral tradition. My sister and I would photocopy album covers and memorize all the words when we were on long car trips. I think I still know nearly all the words to the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine album.
My sister died of cancer, my mother died of cancer, my father died of emphysema. I have two children and a niece. My father had 35 cousins and I am still finding relatives. My mother’s family has two Congregationalist ministers as my great grandfathers, one of whom was one of the (not really very) famous Iowa seven. That set of grandparents were then atheists, especially the grandmother that I am named after. My ex said once that if we went to Antarctica, I’d be related to the penguins. I think this is true.
Apparently Unitarians are not supposed to believe in the Devil. I think that we are the devils and the angels too and can be both at once. So in the end, everything is one.
KO Rural Mad As Hell Blog 
Intrigued and will read more.
I had no idea you were me. Or close thereto. Glad this popped up today.
Stumbled upon this blog looking for local resources, and holy wow, what a great find. Rock on, mom. <3
Totally fascinating–blessings to you!
Thank you!
Most welcome :)
This goes down in one smooth gulp. Many happy babies and glimpses! :)
I love what I read here. I think I’d better follow your blog and come to know you better!
thank you!
Hi Dr K … interesting bio – and good to read about you – I came via Karen Allendoerfer … but fun read as an intro … cheers Hilary
welcome!
[…] photos from people’s everyday lives around the world, he handed it off to Dr K Ottoway, a rural physician in the eastern United States. (Reading that paragraph makes me smile. How else […]
…though I’m on the west coast, but that’s ok….
I rarely read the “about” page on blogs, but something about your gorgeous photography made me wonder more about you. You left a commented on my blog (the photos of beets for lunch in McMinnville, OR) a couple of days ago and now I’m going to start following your lovely blog. Nice to meet you in the blogosphere!
thank you!
One can NEVER sing too much! I volunteer at a small rural clinic so I see our patients in yours………..small world. Glad I wandered into your site this morning. I have an erudite writer to follow now.
(blush)
How could I not find out more from your “Brave” post and your Mad as Hell blog. Cool stuff!
thank you!
Love your thoughts on Angels and Devils. I too share this thinking.
– Lisa
You earned a real laugh-out-loud with the line “I am a Christian buddhist lapsed atheist Unitarian”. I think the world might be a better place if there were more of you :)
Hey, there! I love your introduction.
thank you!
You don’t like prejudice. Nor do I. You might like to type “prejudice” into the search field on the home page of my blog and follow the links.
Discrimination….. now I am thinking about how that is different from prejudice. Discrimination is acting on the prejudice.
came across this today and wondered if you might enjoy the story.
https://awritershelper.wordpress.com/2014/11/25/interesting-people/comment-page-1/#comment-667
I like it… looks like she is in Puyallup now…
I really enjoy your writing. I am glad you chose to share it with the WordPress universe..
Many thanks!
Congratulations on your post, I must admit I have popped in a read a good number of your postings I just want to tell you how good you are at describing the stuff your at – I must admit I find it insightful to read your blogging. Keep up the good work.Hendrik Duvenhage http://www.hendrikduvenhageblog.wordpress.com
thank you very much…
[…] Courtesy of KO Rural Mad As Hell Blog Photo and quoted text courtesy of Historical […]
In the end, everything is one. Dear Rural Doctor, thank you for visiting my blog. I am glad you enjoyed my non-love poem, If only you hadn’t departed. I am looking forward to reading more of your work.
Hello Rural Doctor,
I am a retured physician. Bless your heart for doing primary care in a rural setting. I did just enough of that to know what a challenge it is an how essential it is.
Extra credit for writing a blog. Additional exrta credit for acknowledging the contributions of your parents. Will follow
ccr
wow, thank you so much! I love being rural because I get to see everything….
Thoroughly enjoyed your ABOUT page. I’d been following you but I don’t always get to all the pages of those I follow. However, I saw that you were living in an ideal (small town) world, and wondered possibly where… I found, even more interesting, that we travel in similar Earth Walks. I’m still smiling from your merry way with words!
Thank you… Pacific Northwest US, two hours from Seattle.
I have nominated you for the “Love in Ten Sentences Challenge”. Share the love! https://janebasilblog.wordpress.com/2015/03/20/love-in-ten-sentences-2-2/
I will!
Thank you!
Hello! You are an interesting woman––that I must say. I like you. Thank you for visiting and following my blog. I hope you’ll return and stay a while. Maybe read one of my short stories? Anyway, you have a fascinating blog so I’m also following you. I look forward to reading your posts. :D
thank you!
You mentioned nonsense poetry. I thought you might like to look at this one. Nonsense and Such: The Animal Minded or None-A Poem? http://wp.me/p4y9jb-gJ
I really like to be your friend.
thank you
I think that may be the most engaging “About” page I’ve ever read. You have a new follower! Hi! – Susanne
Awwww, thank you. (blush)
Hi Susanne! Katy/Katherine
Hi,
I’m Tokoni. I wanted to find out if you’d like to participate in friendly Fridays on my blog.
I will check it out! Thank you so much for the invitation!
wow! Great to see that you find time to blog as well midst the hectic schedule. Great about page. :-)
Nice to see a bundle of talents. Congratulations.. Am happy i landed here. :-)
Great introduction, I love folk music too. If you tell me the name of a tune I will swear blind I don’t know what it is, before hearing it and being able to play and sing it. Off to google the Iowa 7 now.
wikipedia, I think called the Iowa band? Under Grinnell college and congregationalism… I fergits….
Well, my goodness. I decided to browse around and look what I found. I grew up hearing about the Iowa Band — perhaps because I lived in Newton, and used to go study in the Grinnell College library when I was in high school. Honest to goodness, we just never know what points of connection we’ll find.
We are probably related!
Heh, both human and everything….
Great introduction – made me smile and made me laugh out loud at the idea of you singing too much.