Friday, October 7, 2016

Dear Abby - Pet Meet and Greet: Lili and Miguel Luis

Dear friends,

Today is my first Pet Meet and Greet post.  I'm very happy to introduce you to two of my long time dachshund friends.  Lili and Miguel Luis live with their human mother, Dianne, in Mexico.  They are in a dachshund group that Momma has belonged to for many years ... and they are great doxies!


Abby:  Who are your pets (names, breeds, ages)?

Dianne:  Lili, “Tweenie” dachshund, 16 ½ years young and Miguel Luis, standard dachshund, 13 ½ years young.

Abby:  Is there a story behind any of your pets' names?

Dianne:  When I adopted Lili, I had two names in mind: Molly and Lili. I took one look at that precious puppy and knew her name was Lili. As for Miguel Luis, he was born here in Ensenada Mexico so he had to have a Mexican name. He was named after my favorite Mexican singer, Luis Miguel.

Abby:  What is the funniest thing your pets have done?

Dianne:  They’re always doing funny stuff but what got me recently is Miguel was on the ramp going from the floor to the couch and just standing there. Lili wanted to come up (bear in mind she is ½ his size). She squeezed up next to hip and with a little hip action, pushed him off.

Abby:  Have your pets had any adventures?

Dianne:  The worst adventure is we were walking on the beach with Teeana (to the bridge in 2008) and were attacked by 2 gigantic mastiffs. The owners had no control over them and they had me on the ground in 30 seconds. The girls ran off (a good decision on their part) and Miguel stayed and fought the big dogs off with me and Jesus. (I kept saying “Jesus help me” and He did!) Teeana waited aways down the beach but little Lili, terrified, ran home, across a busy street a total distance of about ½ mile. 

Abby:  What do you and your pets do for fun?

Dianne:  They’re both older now so short walks. Miguel’s never been much for play but every once in awhile Lili decides she wants to play and runs through the house to get me to play with her.

Abby:  Do your pets have any favorite, special toys?

Dianne:  They used to like balls and, of all things, those brown rubber doorstops, but in the past year or so, they’ve not been interested in toys.

Abby:  What are some special things your pets can do?

Dianne:  Nothing I can think of offhand

Abby:  What are your pets' most lovable qualities?

Dianne:  Those precious faces just looking up at me with so much love, I just want to hug them all the time. I just love them to the moon and back.

Thank you, Dianne!  I loved learning more about my good friends Lili and Miguel Luis here, and know readers will enjoy meeting them here,  too.  You can leave a comment or message for them below.

I would love to include YOUR pets in a future Pet Meet and Greet.  I sent out little questionnaires to everyone who responded in the comments last week.  If you have not received it, please let me know and I can resend.  And if you want to include your pets here, please leave your email in the comments, below.

Love,

Abby xoxoxo 

Book Review - Finding Libbie by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Book Synopsis
Poring over a dusty hatbox of photographs in her grandmother’s closet, Emily Prentice is shocked to discover her father was married to his high school sweetheart before meeting her mother.

In the summer of 1968, Jack and Libbie fall in love under the spell of their small town, untouched by the chaos of the late sixties. Though Libbie’s well-to-do parents disapprove of Jack’s humble family and his aspiration to become a mechanic, she marries Jack a year after they graduate high school. But soon their happiness crumbles as Libbie’s mental state unravels and she is drawn to alcohol and drugs. Despite his efforts to help her, Jack loses the woman he loves and is forced to move on with his life.

Now that Emily’s mother has passed away, Jack is alone again, and Emily grows obsessed with the beautiful woman who had given her father such joy. Determined to find Libbie, Emily pieces together the couple’s fragmented past. But is it too late for happy endings?

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Purchase Links

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My Review

Finding Libbie tells such a moving story.  It begins with Emily helping her grandmother to clean out her farm house before she moves.  Emily finds an old hat box of letters and photos, and realizes her father was married as a young man, before he met her mother.  

 

The first part of the book tells the story of Emily's father, Jack, and his first love Libbie.  They were high school sweethearts in 1968, although she came from a prominent family and he was from a strong working class family.  The book beautifully captures small town life in the 1960's, with details like an outdoor movie on a big screen, Dairy Queen, a roller rink, an A&W drive in, a Fourth of July carnival.

 

Jack and Libbie are both likable, sympathetic characters and I really enjoyed reading about their early romance.  For this reason, I found it really hard to read about Libbie's unhappiness and addiction.

 

The second part of the book involves Emily's search for Libbie.  As I read along, I really hoped for happiness for these characters that I came to care for in Finding Libbie.  I liked Emily's look into the past and search for Libbie.

 

This is a well written, heartwarming, emotionally stirring book.    I recommend it to fans of women's fiction, small town fiction, and family stories.

Author Bio

Deanna Lynn Sletten grew up on the sunny coast of Southern California before moving to northern Minnesota as a teenager. Her interest in writing novels was sparked in a college English class, and she has been writing in some form or another ever since. In 2011, Deanna self-published her first novel and has since published several more, both on her own and with Lake Union Publishing. 

 

Deanna enjoys writing heartwarming women’s fiction and romance novels with unforgettable characters. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes readers on the adventure of a lifetime. She believes in fate, destiny, love at first sight, soul mates, second chances, magic, and happily ever after—all of which are reflected in her novels.


Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her home with her beautiful Australian shepherd or relaxing on her boat in the summer.

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I received a copy of this book from TLC Book Tours.