At 62…Skill sets

After three weeks in Coffman Cove, I am proud to say I believe that Michael Powell may have underestimated me.

My husband had set ideas of what I could and could not do. And physically, he was right in many ways. I don’t have his physical strength. And my back and hip aren’t what they used to be. But I’ve found that a large wrench and as much brute force as I can muster will turn a knob as surely as his powerful hands could do.

I’ve been in public broadcasting for 27 years. The common denominator among public radio listeners is education. Life-long learning. Mike and I fit the bill perfectly. He was as curious as I, and we were forever chasing knowledge.

On TV, I found Mike loved documentaries and the History Channel. We were constantly Googling information and figuring out how to make things work. We talked incessantly about politics, current events, our future plans, every subject imaginable. We got a lot of entertainment and laughs from our shared learning experiences!!

In the beginning, Mike was worried that I couldn’t – or wouldn’t – trade 42 years of life in one of the country’s largest cities for life in a couple of the smallest. My friends weren’t sure, either. But I was. I packed up lock, stock and kitty cats, and I’ve never looked back.

Why? I’ve stayed constantly entertained since day one with Mike. I’ve learned so much, and I have so much more to learn! It’s that lifelong learning thing in action.

Putting it in practice, I’m finding that I knew much more than I realized about things like hooking up the cabin water. I knew what should be done, just not how to physically do it. Ditto on winterizing the cabins. I know the process, but not the procedure. But I’m learning both of them.

This summer, I’ve learned about propane appliances, hot water heaters, how to make contrary gas stoves work, and so much more. I’ve cleaned cabins, lifted, hauled and moved countless items, and washed small mountains of bedding. I’ve baited my first hooks with fish, and I’ve learned how to skin them. I’ve washed the innards out of Dungeness crabs, but I have yet to be able to kill one. That’s next.

Mike didn’t think I could run the zero-turn lawn mower in Dover. I’m doing it, along with the weed eater and blower. He didn’t think I could (or should!) run a chain saw. Haven’t done it yet, but I won a dandy one, and I’d like to learn!

Mike wanted me to sell the boat. Didn’t trust me to run her alone. I’ve never done any boating, and I have no skills in that area. I’m not yet confident, but I’m confident I’m learning. And I have a healthy respect for the water!

I found Mike’s go bags in the boat. Things I never would have thought of in case of emergency. Another lesson learned. I may never take her out alone, but I will be confidently parking and driving her by the time I go back South. And I will have learned the two last gaps in my fishing skills – how to tie the hook on the line – and how to filet the fish.

I’m doing all this not only for me, but for Mike. I feel his hands guiding me as I work. I hear his voice telling me what to do. I just magically know things about which I have zero experience or knowledge. Mike’s not here to have fun in person anymore, but I think – I know – he’s in some way doing it through me. And neither or us ever liked to be bored…so I have work to do!

Bottom line, I had too much fun living and learning with Michael Powell to climb on the funeral pyre and mourn. I want to celebrate our lives together, and I want to have as much energy and life in doing it as Mike would.

I wrote on Mike’s tribute – “There was no limit to his sky”. That’s the way I’ve always thought about life. It’s one of the many reasons why we worked so well together.

I’m going to stretch my skill sets as far as I can. There’s still a lot of learning to do…at 62.