Ground Control

“In the beginning” I seem to remember those words being the start of many many book/stories.  Many years ago during a meeting with some very elite friends, at least I considered them elite, one of them asked me this question “what are the first words in the Bible?” I fluffed my hair fidgeted a bit and said “I can’t recall at the moment.”  You will note I didn’t say I don’t know.  As you probably guessed the first words in my Bible are “In the beginning”.  I learned a great lesson that day.  Honesty can be uncomfortable at times but false pride or ego or anything that you want to call it definitely lessens you in your own eyes and more than likely makes your honesty questionable in the eyes of others.  So here it is the BIG WISDOM for today.  Be honest and trust me I know this is not always easy and I find yep I blew it again with just a simple little evasion.  Enough of the crumbs of wisdom for today.

Very early I learned that I really liked working with crafts.  Loved sticks and paper, paint and oh my goodness GLUE and oh yes SCOTCH TAPE.  When everyone else is bored, moaning there is nothing to do crafts are a life saver.  Having mentioned in my first blog post that I learned how to crochet, in my teens then knit and for a time left the GLORIOUS GLUE behind.  Hand made afghans, sheets trimmed with crochet all went into my Hope Chest Zap years with children school, homework and bath times etc.  crafts were a way to unwind.  Can you tell yet I LOVE CRAFTS.  Well my Mom was a wonderful seamstress and I would here her humming while making clothes or curtains or mending which she did into her 90’s.  But oh GOD sewing was not for me!!!!  Leather Craft became my niche for quite a while.  A great medium for working with your heart and hands, to be creative and make things that had great longevity.  Now you must know that leather craft can be noisy and at times permeate the air—not condusive to Condo living so would you believe, I was back to GLORIOUS GLUE, TAPE, PAPER AND PAINT. 

Now I’m living in a condo and a co-worker said “have you seen the new embroidery machines?”  Oh God no not sewing!!!  Well we swished through our local Joann Store to pick up paper or possibly GLORIOUS GLUE and walked by the Viking (Husqvarna) department.  GLOUIOUS EMBROIDERY MACHINE!!!  Outrageously expensive, with built-in decorative stitches, unique designs built in or on disk.  Very pleasant demonstrator said oh here sit down and I’ll show you what it can do.  Oh my and it could do.  I was  smitten, bitten and fleased .   I equate the embroidery machine for us crafty ladies to that of boaters or golfers, it is a wonderful creative experience, but don’t put your credit card, check book or cash near it!  Ah never mind it seems to have a long reach and will find the financial necessities wherever they are.  Hang in there have a great day and think about crafts if you get bored

• ABOUT CLAIRE: born in a small town in north western Massachusetts a beautiful area in the Berkshire Hills. I was going to spout this great informative stuff about (WHO IS CLAIRE MILLIS) but in the reality of starting this endeavor I realize that if I try to tell you who I think I am I would begin an enterprise that would take the rest of my life and I don’t really have that kind of time. Anyway it is not all about who I think I am but who others see me to be. Are we not all two people or maybe three, four or more? Just as a bit of insight I called this Blog Ground Control, because I as with so many of the people I have known live in a lofty place somewhere in my mind and now embarking on an outer space–cyber space experience I figured at least the name might keep me planted in reality. So here goes the reality. I am, in several days going to be 71. I have 5 children, 2 boys and three girls, now the girls will say I gave the boys top billing which was not my intention, just stating the facts! I’ve never been rich, and never lived in abject poverty. My spirit, there goes that into space thing again, has always sought joy in simple pleasures. I was blessed with a lovely, pleasant voice which led me into glee club as a student, barber shop quarteting as a busy mom and ultimately into local community performances of Broadway shows, of course some years ago, and always church singing. At one time my love for folk music, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, Gordon Lightfoot, Neil Diamond etc. and so forth, I taught myself guitar at around 35 and joined with a friend who was a really great accompanist and did a few gigs locally. Now put an end to all this vocal stuff the beauty of the voice has now departed and even I don’t like what I sound like in the shower. So onward. There has always been a passion for crafts, knitting, crochet, back in the folk area, macramé, leather tooling dyeing and painting, belts wallets purses etc. OK now we have the craft era down although I cannot say DONE. With my children nearly grown and out the door crash divorce struck at my stability. Having worked mothers hours at several jobs on a part time basis I figured I was pretty valuable and joined the ranks to continue on. Over the years my children are grown and living there own lives, as it should be. There is certainly much more to this saga most of which is unnecessary to the discovery of Who is Claire. From this point forward I will be sharing what Claire is doing ’cause who is Claire really?—None of what I just told you clarifies this. May 21, 2009