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Hi Friends: I hope you are doing well?  Spring is in sight.   Twenty twenty-five is the best year ever?   I declare it here and now!  Agree? For moi, spending portions of ‘25 in Florida will ensure that declaration comes to fruition (as will the dear Lord’s blessing on such).   I’m also praying to get a visit from you  in ‘25, in Florida? How could being in Florida, on the beach, be anything short of the best year ever?  Even if one just vacationed in Florida for a week or weekend?  Heaven.   Well, at least I thought Florida was heaven. Reality checks are so un-heavenly. Here's what happened: I stopped at Harris Teeter on the way home from Target.  I needed a small bottle of Woolite (Target only had king-sized options).  Recently, I bought one of those fancy sports bras that T. Swizzle was pictured in during the Era’s tour. You gotta check this bra out:  Life changing potential ! Even if you're a man, check it out for a lady in your life. Woolite was for the bra. I got distracted by a couple other products in Harris Teeter.  Mascara. It was a Covergirl mascara that looked worth trying and with it came a scant dose of retail therapy.  I’m always game for trying drugstore cosmetics to maybe fall in love with.  Most things hit the trash, but you never know. Best of all, this Covergirl mascara was on sale . When I got to the self-checkout I realized I didn’t have the darn shopper’s card needed to reap the dollar-something savings. I know, hilarious when you consider the sticker price on the bra recommended above. One that I hope to soon have in all colors. You gotta check it out. Dilemma:  Do I leave the mascara on top of the gum and breath mints and forget about it? Or, just pay the extra dollar-something?  I began channeling my late mother, a child of the Great Depression who refused to overpay for anything. Preschool was when I learned about frugality. I mashed the Call Attendant button.  A young guy working the self check-out lines was close by.  A forty-five degree turn is all it took to help me.  Full disclosure: I felt stupid wanting the shopper's card scanned but I was stymied by chip-off-the-old-block imprisonment. I said: “I don’t have my shopper’s card.” Assuming I could read his mind: This lady must be down on her luck: mascara, Woolite, kumquats…no shoppers card? Eye contact with him was out of the question. The young man had on sturdy, dark-rimmed glasses.  Thick.  Coke bottle glasses may be the most predictable platitude for describing such, but it’s true .  And I don’t mean a ‘25 bottle of Coke, these were 1950 glasses. The young man scanned the anyone-can-use barcode and I thanked him post haste. But he didn’t budge.  Not a single movement for what felt like eons over my left shoulder.  This guy's close-range stare bore into the side of my face from barely inside peripheral view.   Valiantly ignoring the awkwardness but not the fact that no dang discount popped on the screen, I endured the never-ending seconds. Finally, the nice-enough guy began to back away saying, “Would you like a senior discount too?”  A what?? Did he say what I think he said?? Surely he noticed that no shopper's discount applied, as well?  Was he pitying my three purchases and desire to get a discount for them? Was he scrutinizing the number and depth of wrinkles on my face thus taking the liberty to, then and there, cast me into senior discount qualification status? What tha…? Why that little piece of corral cookie! “Sure” I said "I'll take that discount."  Presto: A percentage came off of all three items but with them also came a stinking [reality check] senior discount.  Holy Mother of Pearl. Wind was punched out of my blissfully ignorant psyche, no turning back.  February 20, 2025 marks the first time being asked if I’d like a bloody senior discount.  Answer: NO, yes, maybe…I don’t know… Holy Mother of Pearl.  Who, over 50, wouldn’t look like a senior citizen at point blank range?  And through ¼ inch 1950 lenses to boot? As I walked with my punched-in-the-gut ego to the car I wondered if the checkout dude said  “a” senior discount or “your” senior discount?  Big difference, right?  “A” senior discount may suggest he was doing me a favor?  Showing compassion for the three items I wanted a shoppers card for but which proved useless. If he said, “your” senior discount, then that implies something altogether more alarming?  Was he, after carefully inspecting the side of my face, confident that I was at the final curtain call of knocking on heaven’s door?  Oh my. There she is Kidding aside,  I'm a happy  60-something (soon to be 60-something else) grandma!  And, no, I don't wish to go back to being 30, 40, or 50. Being (looking) like an authentic grandma is a gift from the Lord above.  But, jeepers-creepers, the discount fiasco at Harris Teeter was an unheavenly reality check to be sure. That incident won't dampen my love for Florida  or my fellow seniors down here (there are a lot of us) though.  And, more notably, channeling some other aspect of my mother will have to fill her otherwise dissipating void.  I’m done with ludicrous discount shopping, mom.   In a way, I kinda thank that guy for shining light on the inevitable... A lot of us in Florida are indeed knocking on heaven’s door from a proverbial heaven-on-earth distance.  Visit soon. See for yourself, in 2025. Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley “The righteous will flourish in old age, bearing fruit and proclaiming that the Lord is upright” Psalm 92,12-15 “A poetic description of aging urges people to commit their lives to God while they are young” Ecclesiastes  12:1-7 “Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength is spent” Psalm 71:9 “I will be your God throughout your lifetime - until your hair is white with age” Isaiah 46:4 Photos don't capture God's beauty when he tells the sun to rise each day. Indescribable. Checking out that ship up close and personal Valentine's Day 2025 The sun wasn't that color at all. Beauty!

Hi There: Happy New Year?  Did you have a pleasant evening on 12/31?  Cheers! May it be a wonderful and blessed year for you and those you love. Hellooo beach, 2025! Fernandina Beach, Florida continues to charm and delight.  Right now, the ocean has glittering diamonds of all shapes and sizes spread over a third of it. The other two-thirds is a deep, cozy, blue-green, throw-blanket as far as the eye can see. The one-third diamond area is a heating pad through the window.  Pearl has a thick fur coat but she enjoys the radiating warmth.  It’s winter, after all.  Pictures never capture the organic majesty of what we see at the end of Sea Chase Drive.  God’s view, tbh.  Private beyond exclusivity.  When I’m not here I wish to be here.  (Before long the window where Pearl is sitting will be replaced with one that doesn’t have a support thing in it.) This morning a bald eagle sailed over the ocean like he owned every drop of water and every washed-ashore foam bubble.  He convinced me he did. Birds are ever-changing entertainment.  Ocean, dunes, blue sky, massive ships and our symbol of strength hang out over the Atlantic on any given morning.  No camera could ever capture the trance. No wonder Lynyrd Skynyrd was inspired to write Free Bird around here. As a human I feel like a Free Bird at the end of Sea Chase Drive.  Trance-like. This paraglider cruises by our windows from time to time. Love this guy. A day in the life…You write the rest… Can you believe we moved out of 2103 McKinley?  Sometimes I can’t believe it.  What’s most incredible is that I don’t miss it.  Not even a bit.  Zippo. There’s a little sadness from time to time for sweet Pearl.  She’s the only one that misses McKinley Road.  She had a great life there.  But she thinks the beach house is okay and she’s hoping the new Atlanta place will be okay too, one day. In the meantime, we’re living in a two-bedroom condo. Small but cozy.  (I guess you would know.  You’ve seen it….) Since it’s a temporary place, and has been a minute since we’ve lived any where on earth other than McKinley, I’m hankering to share the small, thrown-together lair with others. Don’t ask why. It’s a mystery (Jeff’s shoes make it especially share-worthy, maybe that’s why?). Back to Beach Bliss: We’re a short drive to Jekyll Island and also to Jacksonville, FL (Lynyrd Skynyrd home :) from Sea Chase Drive.  Jeff and I biked 11 miles around Jekyll on New Year’s Day.  Been doing this for over 20 years.  We had a really cool camera to capture the island’s beauty…but this is the only pic taken that day. We were driving home and sitting at a stop sign (lol) Diana and Elijah were our first beach guests ever.  They came down the day after Christmas.  It was a little cloudy while they were here.  We chartered a small boat and headed to Cumberland Island with them.  It was fun.  I’m not a total boatie but it was a lovely outing.  Dolphins came close to the boat.  I’ll go out on a boat to see dolphins with these two any day. That’s all for now.  I miss you very much. Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley Downtown Amelia Island was the most vibrant, Christmas-festive town I have ever spent Christmas in Mid-rise living Do you like this little rug in the guest bath? Yes! All that blue is ocean! The paper on the door is a note that asks people to please remove their shoes inside. It stays there while we are away and others look after the house.

Hi Friends: Have any of you been robbed lately? You’ll never believe what Mark Zuckerberg did.   He trashed over a hundred photos of mine.  Gone.  Thrown away like garbage.  But they weren’t garbage.  They were era  memories.  My eras!  Not Taylor’s.  Mine.  If they had been Taylor’s, I bet she'd have them back by now.  I bet if she googled why all of her beloved Facebook photo albums disappeared…I bet she wouldn’t come up with a stupid “ technical issues” excuse. “Technical issue” my big, fat derriere, Mark.   I want my pictures back! Boohiss.   If you can’t tell I’m peeved about this, mostly at myself, I'll tell you that I am. I know it's not literally Mark's fault but he is captain of The Book (a/k/a Facebook), right? A few months ago I tried to download every stinking photo off of Facebook.  Doing so was painstakingly tedious (by design?). I ditched the effort and stupidly hoped they’d always be there. You get what you pay for.   They. Are. Gone.  In part because I/we pay zero  for Facebook. Boo-bloody-hiss. Being robbed feels like #*&%. After depressing, online research as to why it may have happened (sorry, not buying the technical-issue morsel, Mark) my guess is because I had all albums' audience set to only me.    Why?  Because that’s how I wanted it.  There are still dozens of random, public photos of mine on Facebook.  I thought those were enough (too much!).  Who really cares about another person’s random photos any way?  I thought I was doing people a favor by setting the darn albums to private. Enough of ourselves already? Well, sucks for me because they are bye-bye. You get what you pay for.   Right around the same time that Mark trashed my albums, I received notice from Microsoft saying that if I didn’t sign in to Microsoft I would lose photos and files. I heeded the warning. How mature of Microsoft to send a heads up.  If I hadn’t just been robbed by Facebook, I might have ignored it. At least they warned me. (Mark, you should get with Bill to borrow genius ideas.) Thank you, Microsoft. In a Microsoft gallery I found 13,000+ photos.  I’ll survive without the vanished Facebook albums. PTL If you haven't heard, we are moving.  As I was going through Diana’s stuff I found two cameras.  I took the cards out.  I own those cards.  Only I can decide whether or not they’re better off in the trash. The photos on those cards are now on my website.  The Book can’t throw them out.  Other than sharing this blog on The Book, I will not be storing future photos there.   Facebook could certainly make this post disappear from their site but they can’t delete it from my webpage.  I pay  for my webpage.   Anyway, if you can’t tell by now that this is a Facebook rant blog, I admit that it is. But it’s also a you-never-know-the-photos-you-will-find-on-an-old-camera JOY blog. Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley Truth Time: What I'll miss most about our first house:  The back view and getting to Hartsfield-Jackson in 30 minutes. What I'll miss least about our first house:  This neighborhood has more screaming leaf blowers day after day than any other neighborhood in the United States.  (Don’t quote me on that but I bet it’s true.) Guess what else is true: I haven’t had even a sip of alcohol in five months!  That’s not coming from a problem-drinker-in-the-making. But it was an ever-present weekend habit that I didn’t really enjoy to begin with:  Hello more energy. Hello more clarity. Hello more hydration. Hello better sleep. Hello real me! A few photos from the camera cards: 2 Corinthians 9:8: “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” Philippians 4:19: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.”

A few years ago, while taking a creative writing course, I wrote a story from my dog's perspective.  I edited and proofread that bugger like my future depended on it. Even non-dog people would love it, I was certain ! Especially the course instructor. "It's good, but nobody wants to read about animal perspectives any more", the instructor commented, "they’re stale prose. Try again…" Several more pets have come and gone from our lives since that particular dog.  Pearl, a cat, is our latest.  You guessed it! Pearl is purring with joy to share her perspective about what it’s like to travel back and forth from Atlanta to Florida with her humans, me and Jeff.  Pearl says: The 5 1/2 hour drive goes relatively quickly . We leave early in the morning, about 7 a.m. Thankfully, the humans pack a lunch so that there isn’t a long, tiresome wait for me in the car while they waste time in a restaurant.  But I do wish the lady human would refrain from packing Florida yellowfin confit tuna sandwiches.  The aroma is mouthwatering and I can't have a single bite. She says it will upset my stomach. She's right about that. As a matter of fact, I’m not allowed to eat or drink anything in the car.  Zippo.  The lady thinks doing so would make me have to potty.  It doesn’t matter.  I wouldn’t eat or drink anything if they offered it to me.  Thankfully, the yellowfin confit tuna bouquet dissipates with time and I go back to staring out the front windshield, I love to stare out windows. I do that at home in Atlanta, too.  When I get tired of looking straight ahead, I look behind me to see if there is anything interesting in that direction.  There's almost always something interesting. When we arrive at the beach, I love to perch on one of the ocean facing windows.  The lady human says there’s a giant kitty litter pan out there that is filled with real sand.  I could do my business in it if I'd like to. But I don’t want to. I’ve seen turtles walking around out there. As soon as we get settled in, I like to ribbon in and out of the loft banisters. I always decide against jumping all the way down.  At night, sometimes I venture out for an hour or two.  I mostly just stay on the roof and gaze down at Florida's nocturnal life. One time I did go down to chase a bunny out of the bushes.  There’s a cat that lives below us named Zooie (not Zoey).  She doesn’t like me that much yet.  We’re not the same age.  When I'm ready to come back inside, the man human takes me and my food upstairs to my own bedroom. I'm not allowed to roam around the house at night while they're sleeping (sometimes I talk to myself and wake everyone up). I can see a pool that lights up from the bedroom window. The glow is pretty at night. Best of all are the sunrises. Before long I’ll be heading back to Atlanta.  I like it there too.  But the humans say they’re moving soon and that means I’ll be moving too.  One day, I might move to Washington DC to live with my very favorite human, Diana.  I hope you enjoyed Pearl's Perspective! Who cares what negative-Nelly instructors say!?  I'm actually reading a great book Remarkably Bright Creatures, Shelby Van Pelt, that shares an octopus' perspective! Here are some other recent and classic pet perspective books worth checking out and/or revisiting: The Art of Racing in the Rain , Garth Stein The World According to Bob , James Bowen Black Beauty , Anna Sewell Call of the Wild , Jack London ETC. Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley

Hi Everyone: How is life going for you?  Traveling?  Relocating?  Looking forward to voting?  Finding closure to something? I’m doing all the above and then some. --Until late September, we had five urns in our house.  Five .  One cat, two dogs and two humans. On Tuesday, October 1 Jeff and I fulfilled my parent’s final wishes of being buried together, in a double urn vault, in Douglas, Michigan. Like their memorial, held on November 12, 2024, our intimate ceremony/tribute was lovely and true.   An October fall day in Michigan is a beautiful time of year. The sun was shining, the temperature was pleasant and the shade tree that my grandmother specifically chose for her family to rest under was soothing, heavenly. If you’ve ever orchestrated an out-of-state burial you know that planning isn’t the easiest thing to do.  At least it wasn’t for me.  I must have called the local township a dozen times confirming that everything was in place.  Nerves more than anything.  And, unbeknownst to me, urns are heavy .  Did you know that?   Delta Airlines couldn’t have been more accommodating and understanding to work with.  They were sympathetic upon arrival and during inspection. ( Expect the worst and you’re never disappointed?)  Jeff and I both expected a mild hassle.  We were prepared.  Nothing.  No hassle, no delay, nothing.  Piece of cake. We were so touched (albeit not surprised) that my cousins joined us.  The urn was lowered and covered and Jeff and I read bible verses: Opening:  Almighty ever-living God, you rule both the living and the dead and are merciful to all.  We humbly beseech you, that those for whom we pour out our prayers may obtain pardon for their sins  through your tender mercy.  May they rejoice together, be blessed in your sight, and praise you without end.  Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. For Papa:   “Do not let your hearts be troubled.  You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?  And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me so that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3 For Mom:   “But our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself.” Philippians 3:20-21 For Both: We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life.” Romans 6:4 Closure!  Praise the Lord. The end.  Amen. So, ya, I’m happy to have that duty over with. Closure. And I’m especially happy Jeff, Kym, and Jodi were there with me.   I still remember many people who were kind and thoughtful after Mom’s passing.  Cards, calls, and attendance by friends meant the world.  So many people turned a somber time into a sort of spiritual bliss.   It seems odd bringing this up now, but the recent burial a couple weeks ago brought many special people to mind.   Thank y’all! A final page has turned and I’m super excited to get going and give life all I’ve got to give for the next story’s content. Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley

Hi Friends: I hope you’re happy, healthy, and rolling with life’s changes! There’s just so much change going on.  Too much moving.  Everyone knows after 33+ years we are finally moving.  I have a lot to give away if y’all are interested.  Below are some amateur photos of a few things that won’t fit in our new home.. We thought about having a “yard sale”. (Do those even exist any more?)  But, I’d rather give away things that are in good shape, to good homes. If interested, email me at triangleparkatl@gmail.com . And, since giving freebies away is a boring blog, here are some pics from the Fernandina beach house: Moving isn't fun, but visiting the beach house is. Did you see the harvest moon on Tuesday, September 17? In the evening, I was laying on the sofa facing east. Ten hours earlier I'd seen the sunrise. And, now, it appeared like the sun was rising again! I thought " what is happening ?" An iphone camera is better than nothing but fails to capture the brilliance. Fernandina rainbows and sky paintings are a common site to behold: Peacocks strolling down the road on a drive home from the grocery store (Again, what is happening!?) : And, the next day it starts all over again with the sun rising: Have a blessed day, everyone. Love, Shelley

Hi Friends! How are you doing?  How has your summer been?  Has 2024 been good to you in general?  I’m only up-to-date with friends, not on social media.  It’s been a minute… as the saying goes for checking in with SM friends. A lot is happening. We are moving! Spring ‘24 started out with a bang for the Buckhead Sweeneys: We road and air traveled around Tuscany, Florence and Rome, Italy.  After Italy, we headed to a horse show in Kentucky and added a visit to a Maserati shop.  We were on the hunt for my long-lost ‘76 Merck.  We found it and we’re buying it back.  The old Merck is getting a full face-lift and tummy tuck right this very minute.   If you’re wondering: where on earth will they keep that car on McKinley Road???   Oh my, do we have good news on that front…. After 33+ years, we are finally leaving McKinley Road! After Kentucky, we went to Urbana, Illinois to attend Diana’s law school graduation (…Summa Cum Laude…:).   Next stop after Illinois that was NYC for Eli and Diana’s wedding.  Incredible matrimonial-elopement weekend!  Diana was a stunning bride, Eli was a sharp, handsome groom!  Family in attendance was the icing on the cake.  Phew, that was a lot of 2024 crammed-in travel.   After the wedding, in June, we suffered the loss of two, young, dear people.  Unspeakable.  When July rolled around, Jeff and I were hit with a dreadful case of pneumonia.  I know.  What?  We were sick, and I mean sick, for the entire month of July.  Our house was full of coughing, hacking, blowing, moaning, and limping sickness! We were supposed to spend July 4th at our blissful beach house overlooking the Atlantic.  No such luck.   Eventually, we did make it (barely) down there to recuperate.  And oh what a beautiful place to recuperate in.  Stunning private view that never, ever gets old.  Birds, rainbows, sea turtles, rising sun and moon, ships in the distance, ever changing water color and peace.  Pure peace. All good things must come to an end and before we knew it, we were back in sweltering hot, stormy Atlanta.   Don’t get me wrong.  I love ATL.  But it is sweltering hot and stormy June - August. So, a lot of you know that Jeff and I planned to demolish our McKinley home and rebuild.  It goes like this:   Tear down Rebuild Call it all off. Don't do it. Tear down Rebuild And, now, the latest is… Call it all off. Don't do it... After returning from the beach and recovering from pneumonia we called off the rebuild plan, again. Praise. The. Lord. It's time to get off of McKinley Road? Take a look at these photos: We bought a new home in Buckhead and couldn’t be more excited.  Please visit us! If you want the whole scoop, give me a ring. Otherwise, here’s the skinny: It’s in Garden Hills, The Delmont.  It’s currently under construction and has everything we were after with a new-build on McKinley.  And, MORE! Way more. The best part for Jeff is the 3+ car garage!  The best part for me is the amazing greenspace view and huge oak tree.  Entry way and elevator are pretty nice too. Cheers!   Meanwhile, we will still be moving into our condo on Peachtree.  Boy, is it looking quaint and cute with various, lovely things of my late mother’s. So, yeah, a lot is going on in our lives regarding real estate.   Thankfully, we’re getting a break from it all soon!   I hope all of you are experiencing exciting change in your lives too. God has been so, so good to me and my family.  I pray you reap similar blessings through faith in Him. Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley Persevere in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving - Colossians 4:2

Hi Everyone, How are you? How is summer going for you? On Saturday, June 1 my youngest daughter, Diana, married her college sweetheart, Elijah. She is single no more. Diana and Eli are both 26-years-old and have dated since they were 18. They met at the Georgia Institute of Technology. They both got out...with degrees in tow. Now, they're on their way up with promising careers in front of them. Jeff has dubbed them a "power couple"! Whatever couple status they choose to aspire to, their love and camerderie will reign supreme. They both glowed on their wedding day. They've always seemed so happy and comfortable around each other and their special day revealed it all the more. Diana and Eli eloped in New York City. They had a vision of how they wanted to get married and they pulled it off exactly how they invisioned it. This video describes it better than I can: Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley

Where does time go? Especially the older you get.  It used to be that days and weeks were long, months and years were short.  They’re all short now. Three years ago, Diana and I were visiting law schools.  Envisioning her graduating with an official law degree was forever in the distance.  She’d be my graduate student forever. Then, poof, three years vanish and suddenly she and her fiance are packing a J.D. in the back of the Jetta that she’s had since high school and driving to Delaware. Diana is officially a resident of Wilmington, Delaware.  She’s studying for the bar exam and embarking on her first federal clerkship at the end of the summer. What is happening? I’ve seen a video of her new apartment.  It comes complete with a washer/dryer and dishwasher (three things she did without while studying law).  Unless you’ve lived the past three years schlepping dirty clothes to a laundry mat and hand-washing all of your dishes, you may not appreciate those three machines as much as I know Diana does. Pads aside, graduation weekend was a joy to behold. Granted, I left D’s gift beside my bed in Atlanta and didn’t realize it until 6:30 a.m. the following morning.  Jeff asked as we were departing down our driveway if I had packed it.  I immediately reached for the suitcase latch to make sure and even mumbled that maybe I should go back inside to double check.  Jeff assured me I had packed it and I confidently agreed. But I hadn’t. Whatever. As soon as Champagne-Urbana opened for business on graduation day, Jeff and I shopped ‘til we never wanted to shop anywhere on earth again. All in pursuit of a respectable, substitute gift.  A last-minute appropriate gift for a law grad with many awards to her credit and a ranking in the top 5%. Not a great way to start things off but we had plenty of time and were happy with what we found. On the up side, Diana’s future in-laws traveled a long way to see her receive a Juris Doctor. We are grateful to them for making the trip.  Their son (our future son-in-law) supported Diana throughout law school.  AND! He helped pack her apartment and transport her and a bunch of stuff to Wilmington. Thank you to all! The strange part of the weekend was at the end.  Jeff and I were in Champaign-Urbana for a few hours after everyone in our party left.  Our flight was late afternoon so rather than sit around the not-so-exciting Bloomington, Illinois airport we hung out…guess where…in Champaign-Urbana. We went back to the shopping mall for a third time and schlepped around other places.  Then, we went back to the law school for a final visit and took this selfie. If all this reads as boring, I agree.  (Diana wasn’t even in the state of Illinois!)  But, TBH, we had fun doing it.  We’re hopelessly proud of our Georgia Tech engineering grad and our top tier UIUC law grad. (Plug insert: our other, under-the-radar, daughter is just as smart and accomplished as Diana in case you were wondering.  Surely, you must have been wondering?) Now, it’s wedding time!  We’re recalibrating to plan Diana’s wedding. Phew. Prayers accepted and appreciated. Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley

Hey Y'all: Happy Spring! Are you glad winter is over? I am. Atlanta was cold and wet for a long time. So cold and wet, from now on I'm getting the heck out of here, January - March. Jeff and I kicked off spring with an Italian adventure. About two years ago we purchased a trip to Manciano, Italy through an auction event. For a long time, we weren't sure if we'd go or not. Been there done that sort of thing. Ultimately, we decided there is more to Italy than what we'd already seen, Milan and Venice. And we're most certainly not getting any younger. So we went... Manciano is about two hours from Rome. Rather than hire a driver we decided to rent a car. In part because we planned to visit Michaelangelo's David sculpture in Florence (three hours north of Manciano). Our villa was fab. (2,000 sq. ft.), cozy, and oh-so Italian. The front door put us immediately (and I mean immediately) onto a quaint road. If someone was walking by you'd have to wait for them to pass before stepping out. The roads lead to charming restaurants and neighborhoods that were as (more maybe) interesting as museums. When we first arrived we opened all of the huge, outdoor shutters in the back that covered french doors and windows (five). The wind was blowing and the shutters kept slamming back onto the doors and windows. For sure, the neighbors knew we had arrived. Windy breeze, bam, BAM, bam, windy breeze, BAM, bam. I can still hear them. BAM! The biblical story of David in and of itself is inspiring but, oh my, the statue of David in Florence is visual ecstasy. As close to perfection as one can imagine. Being in Michaelangelo's midst of artistic genious was worth driving an extra six hours to see. --Even if it meant narrowly escaping a scam disaster.-- Yep. Jeff and I almost got railroaded on our way out of Florence. As we headed out of town, Jeff was driving the front end. We were minding our own business in the right-hand lane when out-of-no-where in the left lane comes a black, Audi hatchback blazing by like a bat out of hell. After they passed, they abruptly slowed and got in front of us causing us to then pass them. Two men were in the car. They honked their horn as we passed them and then they proceeded to get right up beside us. The driver had his window down. He was facing us, and his hands were oddly in the the air. He was attempting something but it happened so quickly I had no idea what he was doing. I thought he had a gun because where I live if something similar happens there's a decent chance a gun will appear. Gun or no gun, the driver's hands were outside of the window in an alarming fashion. We heard something hit the passenger side of our car (the driver threw a rock). After the rock hit us, the Audi immediately pulled over on the side of the road. Apparently, they thought we would also pull over. Umm, where we live, if such an incident occurs one does not pull over to have a chat with the perpetrator. Just ahead of us (thank God!) was an exit with a gas station that was relatively active. This was a blessing because there aren't a lot of gas stations or any other place to stop along the way. We pulled into the gas station and the bandits pulled in right behind us. My heart was pounding. I truly thought I could have a heart attack. We were worried but there were people around. So, not that worried. The guy in the passenger seat walked up to my side of the car. He had a gangsta-style ball cap on. I rolled down the wondow. The guy looked at me and said: "You hit me. Ma English no good, ahh, you hit me, you hear da boom? Da boom?" He pointed to our rearview mirror insinuating that we side-swiped him. "No, we didn't" I said. At this point, he is already appearing to back down. Jeff leaned over and said "I saw you throw a rock at us! I saw you do it!!" ...duh... The bandit went back to his car and they pulled up to Jeff's side. The wanna-be gangstas continued hustlin' for money. Ultimately, Jeff motioned his hand and told them to "go, go, get out of here". They left the gas station. The scammers figured out quickly that we weren't afraid of them (well, maybe a little) but no way were we going to hand over money. Turns out, the scam they tried to pull off is relatively common. A quick google search brought up articles on Wing Mirror Scams in Italy. The scammer's eratic driving could indeed have caused a lot of harm but their blatant rock-throwing tactic, assumption that we'd pull over after it, and subsequent accusation of impact was/is utter ridiculousness. Who would hand over a penny for such nonesense? Granted, I may have paid a couple euros for a selfie with the cartoon-like characters but nothing beyond that. The whole ordeal ended up being laughable, hysterical. Manciano, Florence and Rome are beautiful and were fabulous to visit. But the wing-mirror scam that local delinquents tried to perpetrate on us dominates our memory. It's nice to be back in ATL. Happy Spring, everyone. Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley P.S. We're pretty sure that we found "the" Maserati!! More to come when confirmed.

Hi Friends Hope y’all are doing well! Does it ever drive you nuts when you can’t find a PIN?  Try looking for a 40-year-old VIN.  You’ll never PIN complain again.  At least I won't. I’m on the hunt for this 1976(ish) Merak Maserati that I owned in the early ‘80s. The car may be long gone - totalled - but it also may be around.  Some where. We want to repurchase it! All I have to go on is that the man I sold it to in 1983, resold it in '87 to someone “in Kentucky”.  At the time of sale the license plate was: “Merak” - Oregon.  I also know that State Farm insured the car but no digital records were kept at the time so there’s really no point in typing this sentence. If anyone has any suggestions, please email: triangleparkatl@gmail.com. Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley #Maserati #Merak #Merakmaserati

My mother, Diane, was an automobile enthusiast. She loved cars, especially her last one.  Here's a shot of the beloved 1995 Mercury Grand Marquis LS that she inherited from her dad. As mom entered her late 80s and early 90s, no one could talk her into purchasing a smaller, more reliable car.  Wasn't going to happen, ever. End of argument. Some of us were worried that the doors or wheels on that Mercury might just fall off without warning.  It had close to 100,000 miles on it and various issues were popping up...like a rear window that didn’t close properly. A fact that was discovered while inside a car wash.  Didn't bother mom a bit. Until the end of her life, Diane never stopped saying: “I love that car; it runs just fine.  The mechanic says he’s never seen anything like it in his life. I'm never getting rid of it.” When mom was a passenger in my car, she often noticed other cars on the road saying: “What kind of car is that?  That sure is a nice car.  How much does one of those cost?”  She simply loved admiring and riding in all sorts of cars. But all that curiousity and admiration didn't mean she wanted to trade in the beloved Mercury. Guess where it is now? Panama, South America! Yep. No kidding. Diane's favorite car in the world is now living its best life in warm, tropical Panama! And I mean best life.  It has been born again in Panama with one heck of an overhaul. Meet the man responsible for the Mercury's rebirth, Ernesto: Ernesto worked for my parents.  He was a good friend to both of them and he gave a moving eulogy at their memorial when he attributed starting his own business to mom’s encouragement. But his most touching anecdote was when he told a story about mom inviting him and his mother to lunch at their house. Beautiful! There are no words to describe how proud and happy Diane would be knowing that Ernesto restored her late father's old car to good as new. I was especially cheerful to see dad’s American flag and United States Marine Corp. decals still in place on the back windshield. Priceless! I thank God for mutual joy shared through an uncommon friendship. God Bless you, my friend. Thank you for reading! Love, Shelley (Christmas decorations at the car's new home :) (Before video) (after video)