A Dear Friend Named Katy

When I was young, Katy was my inspiration. Nevermind that she was nearly twenty years older than my grandparents. Katy was bold, Katy was beautiful, Katy was eccentric. And that’s precisely why I loved her most.

Katy was the type of charming strange-bird that lived boldly. She wasn’t afraid to smile. She greeted everyone with a full hug and a two-handed handshake. She penned beautiful words with ease and was unafraid to speak enthusiastically about her beliefs. She held her friends near to her, dressed fashionably and loved her family without reservation. 

Katy had a whimsical flare that made even the most mundane activity unique.

For instance:

Katy wasn’t one to take her friends to lunch. Instead she hosted personalized afternoon teas with scones and music, and would sing 1940s show tunes until the sun went down. She had a fondness for mismatched dishes had a table cloth for friends to embroider their names to document who came to tea. I adored the way she would show me each piece of art in her hallway and explain, in detail, teacup in hand, what made each one perfect.

Not to be deterred by the 50 degree weather, she always wore a fabulous fur coat in the mild Texas winters because it was her mother’s, and it made her feel special. 

Once, a friend brought a new church pulpit for her to see-- hand-carved wood. Katy bent down and all but splayed her body across the entirety of the pulpit and declared with pure delight, "Oh! If I weren't a Christian, I would worship wood." She saw something magical in that piece of wood that brought it to life.

She sang. I mean, she really sang with gusto. She sang as a way to occupy time, as a way to perform and as a way to worship. She and her husband George led our families in rounds of silly songs and beautiful hymns and Christmas carols. The the song I remember her singing most? “I Like to Eat Apples and Bananas” ...including verses about ohpples and banonohs and aypples and banaynays. I learned most of my day-to-day repertoire from Katy and George. 

Katy with a beloved Blue Goose.

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Katy’s zest for life is the inspiration for this blog. She has forever changed my view of eccentricity. She is the reason her grandson, a childhood playmate of mine, at about age 10 described me as “weird wonderful,” and she is the reason I am who I am today.

And so, I hope you enjoy reading each post’s musings about what’s oddly perfect and perfectly odd about the world as I see it. May it inspire you to be bold and unconventional and enjoy the tiny piece of the world you get to hold in your hand... not unlike a dusty-blue goose.