This morning the sun was shining and 99 came out bright and early to say hello with a big smile on her face. Life is good....or should I say was good. It didn't take long and things changed rather drastically. 99 and I had our first spat. Something akin to a lover's quarrel.

Do you see something wrong with this picture? Well I do. I am missing my wing and I am pretty Pee O'ed! You could say I am madder than a wet hen sitting on a cold egg. 99 tried to get my screws out with the screwdriver but they wouldn't budge and I was relieved. Not for long though. You see, she got out Mr. Hacksaw that she borrowed from a "nice" Italian guy of hers and she started hacking.

 Me? Not happy. What's a Shasta without it's curbside wing? I still have one of them left but now I am lopsided. 99 says it's for my own good and she better consider herself lucky that I have a soft spot for her because the last thing you want to do is make a New Yorker mad! Even if I am an upstater.

Here is my wing that has been forcefully removed from my body.

It was home to lots of bees.

Lots of NY corrosion right there.

I guess she is right. That wing is pretty corroded. She said she is going to make it shiny again and that is when she disappeared in the garage for a few hours. Then, Lord have Mercy, she came out with something I barely recognized. She said there is a lot more buffing to do but her arm was threatening to go on strike so she had to give it a break for a while. Here's a peak at how my wing is coming along...

Here is my before picture. 

My wing isn't properly attached yet but it sure will look good when it is back in place, don't you think?

Note that my window and eyebrow has been polished up too!

 Here I am next to my streetside wing. Quite a difference.

99 says with a little more buffing she will get me to a mirror finish! She used her buffing wheel and mother's aluminum polish. Diamond Brite Truck Box polish works better, but she is all out. It took some scrubbing first, of course, and the bee hives had to be removed from the inside. When it is completely done it might not be perfect, but keep in mind....my wings are original. They have withstood the test of 52 years in New York weather and no dents from people backing me up too far and crushing me! Speaking of New York, it got cold, windy and rainy here, so 99 says she is going back inside of me until the next time the sun decides to show it's lovely face. We had a great morning and afternoon though. I have a clean window, a good start on my wing, some of my z stripe got scrubbed and if it were a little warmer I might have gotten a much needed bath. It will happen and I will be sure to tell you all about it!

This is Mercy signing off with a big merci beaucoup to all of you who have stopped by my blog to say hello. Until next time, I leave you with this. No challenge is ever too big no matter what the forces are against you. Hang in there and find yourself a way to make your dreams come true. And remember...

"Professionals built the Titantic....Amateurs built the ark."