Hi Folks,

Update

My BookBub author website, www.suannelewisauthor.com, was out of commission for a few days, but everything seems to be restored now, thankfully. Because my www.4stepsconnect.com needs some updating, I’ve begun working on that. I’ll keep you up to date on changes you will see there.

I’ve been developing a Pinterest account to feature my books, quotes, and related topics. You can find me on Pinterest as SuanneLewisAuthor (suannelewis0767). This has been a novel and challenging endeavor I hope others will find interesting. It’s fun to pick out little details from my books to feature on the Pins.

A fourth novel in my “Journey” series is in the early stages. I have research to do and more development before I begin the actual daily writing of it, but I’ll let you know more about the plot and storyline as it progresses.

Musings

It is a gift encountering someone by chance who is as enthusiastic about dogs as I am! Recently, I’ve had the pleasure of spontaneously sharing my love of dogs with three others. I want to tell you their brief stories about the breeds or crossbreeds of their little fur babies.

One woman was waiting at the reception desk of the vet hospital where I had just had an efficient and satisfying yearly check-up for my sweetie, Miss Calliope Jane (Calli) for short. Calli was enthusiastically moving towards the exit while I intended to wait for my bill. While Calli has never seemed to have a negative experience at the vet, she gets anxious being there and is always glad to depart. As we approached the desk, a woman holding a sweet, short-haired, tan puppy in her arms called to me about Calli’s beautiful hair color, which is a pearly silver color. Calli, a cross of Yorkshire Terrier and Bichon Frise, began as a tan and black pup, supposedly Maltese and Yorky, and turned gray and almost white within a few months. Originally, I thought Calli would weigh ten pounds or fewer.

I approached the kind woman and asked about her sweet pup, who she said was supposed to be a Chihuahua but was growing larger than expected. Indeed, her little bundle appeared to be a tad larger than one would assume for a Chihuahua puppy. As she was called in for her appointment, we both agreed she would love her buddy regardless of eventual size. What I didn’t have time to tell her was about eventually getting a DNA test after witnessing Calli beginning to grow quite long legs and to turn gray. Before the test, I had joked that she might be an Irish Wolfhound! Despite growing eight pounds more than expected, Calli is my cherished petite friend.

Another encounter at a large discount store, where I was searching for a replacement blanket for Calli’s kennel, brought me into conversation with a young woman. In the crowded aisle, we talked about what we were looking for, which prompted her to tell me about her lovely pal. With sparkling eyes and a loving smile, she described her small dog as a cross between a Poodle and a King Charles Spaniel. As she described her buddy, she affectionately and repeatedly shaped long, silky spaniel ears with her hand motions, while she told of its curly poodle hair. What a lucky dog to have such a loving mom.

For my third encounter, as my husband, Calli and I entered a pet-friendly hotel, a smiling desk attendant welcomed us and immediately stepped around the desk to greet Calli and offer her a biscuit if her mama agreed. The attendant patted her chest lightly and enthused, “I love animals. All kinds.” She quickly listed the dogs and small reptile she had at home. So many I’ve lost their names and breeds. The likely reason for my forgetfulness is that the pet she described next was so surprising and entertaining. The pretty young woman dressed in her corporate suit and heels stated she had a pygmy hedgehog. As she described it, she cupped her hands and motioned that it liked to lie just below her shoulder and never raised its quills by being handled. I did a bit of research and discovered that the African pygmy hedgehog is a mix of species, and some jurisdictions prohibit them. With such an array of pets, this young lady was truly an animal lover, as she proclaimed.

Thank you, my friends. If you have a dog or other animal story you’d like to share with me, please find my contact information on the site. I would love to hear from you.

Take care,

Suanne