#douschka

Did y'all know there was a young woman in South Carolina that the Tsars of Russia sent diamond jewelry to every year on her birthday? Her name was Francis Eugenia Olga Neva "Douschka" Pickens, the daughter of the US Minister to Russia Francis Wilkinson Pickens and his beautiful wife, Lucy Holcombe Pickens. She was born at the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg in 1859. The graceful Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna and Tsar Alexander II were named godparents of the baby girl because Francis and Lucy had become such close friends to the Imperial family. The Tsarina gave her the extra two names of Olga and Neva at her christening. This baby girl became so beloved by the Tsar and Tsarina that after the Pickens went back to the US/South Carolina, every year they sent her a piece of jewelry on her birthday to show their care and kindness. Even after Tsar Alexander II was sadly murdered in 1881, his son, who knew Douschka, as well, continued the tradition of sending her a jewelry gift on her birthday until she died in 1893. She was buried with a diamond necklace that Tsar Alexander gave her.

Meet Douschka, the house cat who has taken quite a liking to me already. She has been sleeping on the corner of my bed for hours now and cries when I make her leave. Douschka is a three-legged cat, who lost her left hind leg when she heroically dove off the ledge of one of the windows, and braved the six flights down into the street. She has many personalities and is quite a character - both a lady and a mousquetaire, a noblewoman and a charlatan.