Weeding, minerals, and swimming at secret rock

Photo: Aimee Edwards

Lorraine Clukey

BRYANT POND – Lorraine Clukey grew up in Dixfield and is the newest owner of Curves in Paris.

She recently took time to tell us about her life.

Q: When were you born and where were you brought up?

A: I was born December 2, 1972 in Farmington Maine in the old hospital. Now it's an apartment complex and they have built a new hospital. I lived in East Dixfield on the Common Road.

Q: Did you have any siblings?

A: I had eight siblings. Six brothers – one that passed at birth I never got to meet, or know he was born before me. Two sisters – I was in the middle of the bunch. My dad had three wives so they are all half-brothers and half-sisters except three of us.

Q: What did your parents do?

A: My parents were Maryanne Quinn Haines; she was a nurse and my dad was Richard Haines and he was a jack of all trades, mostly doing mechanical work. He was also a great musician and that’s where I got my love of music.

Q: What was it like growing up?

A: I grew up on a farm for the first part of my childhood and it was so fun; I had canvas floors and had no clue we were poor. I loved the apple trees on our farm. I would climb to the top but could never get down so my older brother Dickie would have to climb up and get me down.

He paid me back, though, by squirting milk in my face when he was milking the cows. We had a lot of animals: cows, chickens, little piglets I thought were my dolls. I would dress them up carry them around. Got in trouble a few times for it.

When I got older the farm was burnt down and a trailer moved in. I loved to garden and I can remember that my dad would use weeding as punishment if I was to get in trouble and I really didn’t mind it at all though I didn’t let him know. I would complain, but all along I knew it was no punishment for me, probably why I got in trouble so much.

One of the best things about my childhood was the secret rock, a huge rock down the street in the middle of a brook where my mom would take us to swim. She made it such an adventure and I couldn’t wait to go and play and swim.

Years later, I returned to the rock and found it was really small and shallow but to me as a kid it was huge and the water was over my head. Funny what we see when we are young.

Q: What did you want to be when you grew up?

A: I wanted to be a librarian when I growing up, but now I just want to be a kid when I grow up.

Q: Did you play pranks as a kid?

A: I can't remember playing pranks too much, but once my sister and I told our younger brother to put his finger in the wheel of a bike we had turned upside down, to stop it spinning, and it cut the tip of his finger right off. We felt really bad; I had no idea it would cut it off.

Q: What have you had for jobs?

A: I am also a jack of all trades and a master of none like my dad.

I went to school in Georgia for pathology. I'm a holistic health care provider, working with polarity therapy, crystal, sound and color. I believe our bodies were created to heal themselves.

I'm the new proud owner of Curves In South Paris. Curves provides a complete cardio work out in just 30 minutes. We work every muscle group and you can burn up 500 calories. The best part about Curves is, we are a small family of woman powered by Curves making us stronger together.

Q: Do you have children?

A: I have four children, two boys and two girls, and one grandson.

Q: Do you have any hobbies?

A: I guess you could call me a spelunker. I love collecting minerals and I actually bought my Curves with rocks my husband and I collected over the years. I love to swim and seven years ago we bought a house on the lake so we didn’t have to leave home to enjoy the beach.

Q: Do you have any regrets?

A: I don’t have any regrets in life. I wouldn’t be the person I am today if I had not experienced everything I've done; good, bad or indifferent. I'm the kinda girl who believes rules were made to be broken and homes are for expression, not impression.

Q: If anyone could walk in the room right now, who would you most like to see?

A: If anyone could walk in right now I would love to see my mom. She passed when I was 20. I miss her like crazy. I would just love to put my arms around her one more time and let her know how much I love her. She was an amazing, strong woman! Did I tell you I'm just like my mom?