I don’t know how it managed to get to be mid-November already, but it is. Jennifer Stringer and the city crews are working hard getting thousands of lights strung in trees, bushes and on buildings downtown to once again transform Greenville into a winter wonderland.

If you are new to the area, you won’t believe how lovely it becomes after dark.

There is also a “Windows with WOW” Contest (can’t wait to see the creative results) underway in the city. Saturdays in November also continues this weekend with another 10 a.m. walking tour and not one, two great events in Confederate Park: “Art in the Park” with Stacey Edwards and her wonderful art students from Greenville High, and the Butler County Humane Society’s “Bark in the Park.” “Bark” will feature a fun Pets on Parade contest, door prizes and a bevy of adoptable pets in need of a good, fur-ever home.

And be sure and visit Beeland Park this Saturday or Sunday to enjoy a variety of artwork, courtesy of the Greenville Fine Arts League. “Saturdays” ends next weekend with the final tour of historic downtown and the always-festive Holiday Open House at The Pineapple.

With the upcoming “Bark in the Park” in mind, I want to share the following story put together by fellow Humane Society member Annie Crenshaw, who is heading up the “Bark” project.

It will make you believe miracles do happen and good people certainly do exist in this world.

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“Sonja Newton has raised six orphaned kittens whose mother was run over by an automobile before the kittens were born,” Annie said.

“Believe it or not, Sonja saved the kittens by C-section delivery and put them with a dog mother (who’d had puppies and had milk) who loved them, nuzzled them, bathed them and protected them like they were her own puppies – she was quite upset when the kittens were put with a cat mother as soon as they found a queen with other kittens and milk.”

In spite of the odds against it, “all the C-section kittens lived, all six of them — What a miracle,” Annie said.

“Sonja really went to a lot of trouble to save these kittens, even though her little boy is allergic to cats and she can’t keep any of them herself.”

The kittens are now eight weeks old and old enough to leave the adoptive mother; four have tails and two are bobtailed like little rabbits. All are grey and black tabbies, except one of the bobtail is solid black.

Annie, who plans to adopt two of the kittens, describes them as ”little munchkins, with great big eyes and soft silky fur – so adorable!” (The little boy cat, a rambunctious fellow known as Tony, loves to play and actually sucks his thumb, Annie says.)

Annie is helping Sonja look for happy fur-ever homes for the other four kittens. Anyone who is interested in adopting one of these miracle felines, please call

383-0194 or 437-4082. And bravo to Sonja for being such a good Samaritan to these kittens!