Messages

1

The Myth and Legends of Survivors / Re: What would They Have Done if They Had Survived

« on: January 14, 2005, 04:18:29 PM »

I like to imagine Nicky opening a little Ice Cream Fountain someplace like, oh I dunno, Winnetka IL or Davenport IA--you know, that Middle America thing.

The soda shop would go over great, so well in fact that Nicky would become known as

"The Ice Cream Tsar of Chicago"

Olga would marry a nice young doctor who was dedicated to improving the conditions in the slums.
Little Dickie Battenberg would make the crossing to sit on the porch swing with Marie and Alexei would perch on the steps winking and grinning to make them uncomfortable.

Alexandra would set them all to sewing lovely slipcovers and curtains for the furniture and all would go merry as a marriage bell.

Oh yes, and at the wedding receptions, why there'd be the grandest ice cream cakes you ever saw!

2

Having Fun! / Re: poem for Olga Nicholaievna

« on: January 14, 2005, 11:19:14 AM »

Absolutely beautiful. That's our Olga, dear dear girl.

3

Alexandra Feodorovna / Re: Alexandra as Empress and Mother

« on: January 09, 2005, 10:30:07 PM »

I think that the dear woman was trying to create a "tight little island" which could protect itself from all outside attack.
Not exactly without reason considering the way that the outside world judged and misjudged her AND her family.

It truly IS in the psychology of people who are, or who feel, oppressed (and make no mistake about it Alexandra had darned good reason to feel oppressed, if not financially then PERSONALLY by the people who surrounded her) to withdraw into the one circle that will absolutely love and accept them.

Think about it...how many of you really seek out the company of people who you know are judging and criticizing you?
Well, if you do you are either a fool or a masochist!

So of course she wove a web of "us against the world" about her children.
The sense of being assailed on all sides could only have been exacerbated by the illness and continual fear for poor little Alexei's well being.

Imagine trying to keep a secret like that while simultaneously remaining eternally vigilant to what the poor child was doing so as to keep him from doing himself a serious injury!
And all the while the press and the public's  interest are making it well nigh impossible to keep either your worry OR the reason for it private.

Poor dear, it's a miracle she didn't go absolutely bonkers!
I'm sure she was over protective, her family was her ONE TRUE THING.
In her experience they were all she could count on not to turn against her and hurt her terribly.
I daresay she wanted her children to enjoy the mother's love and understanding that fate had ordained she would not long enjoy.

Sure, she was what we (or at least some of us) would call a "s"mother, but like every parent on the face of the earth, she was dealing with the hand she had been given, by life, societal expectations, heredity, typhoid, and...for want of a better word "God"

All in all she was a gem of a mother, if a largely overwhelmed one.

4

Having Fun! / Re: Does Maria resemble...?

« on: January 08, 2005, 01:15:23 AM »

Chintz I have to agree with you about Drew Barrymore.
I posted some time back that she would have made a GREAT Marie back when she was younger.
She was the only one in Hollywood who had that sweetness in her face.
Something about her mouth I think.

So here's one more vote for young Drew.
I also see the Katie Holmes choice as a good one, particularly since Drew is now a bit too old to play our angel girl.

If they could let Katie Holmes look like a natural girl and not like a "come hither" sexpot teen queen maybe she could pull it off.
Trouble is that the ideal now is for the "knowing" sort of girl when Maria was a product of a time when girls weren't supposed to "know" and if they did they kept the knowledge strictly to themselves!

5

Tatiana Nicholaievna / Re: H.I.H Tatiana Photos'

« on: December 09, 2004, 10:50:21 PM »

Is that Anastasia in the background?

Yes! Isn't she great? Sitting back there blowing through the netting of the tennis racket

Never a dull moment.

--Mary

6

Tatiana Nicholaievna / Re: H.I.H Tatiana Photos'

« on: December 09, 2004, 05:26:11 PM »

This one is one of my favorites of Tatiana and her dad.



Mary

7

News Links / Re: Nicholas & Alexandra: At Home in Cincinnat

« on: December 04, 2004, 12:10:15 PM »

Yes! Yes! YES!

Woo-Hoo!

Mary

8

Imperial Claimants Post Here / Re:  past lives?

« on: November 29, 2004, 12:58:14 AM »

I am so glad that someone had the guts to bring up this topic!

For the record...I DO believe that reincarnation is possible, and it actually makes as much sense (if not more) than any other theory that is floating around out there.

While I don't think that I personally was a member of the Romanov family I can tell you this: IF reincarnation IS a reality SOMEONE has to be.

I have a friend who feels that they were a member of the crew of Titanic and died in the sinking.

Is this glamorous? Not really...he kinda hates it and doesn't tell any but his closest friends...but there it is, like it or NOT.
So in HIS case, he is hardly looking for "status" by being some poor chap who froze to death on a sinking ship.

It would not be surprising that people who have some sort of past life link to the Imperial Family would find their way to this site.
Affinities, automatic likes, dislikes, and interests could very well be linked to the natural human desire to seek out what we know and are comfortable with.

So if any former Romanovs are here...I am not a BIT surprised.
And actually not everyone who has odd memories of a "past life" DOES claim to have been someone famous.

Many of them join the SCA...and don't know why.

They join Civil War reinactment groups...and don't know why.

They buy and feel best in vintage clothes...and they don't know why.

And since the vast majority of us don't end up in history books...they will NEVER know why and never be able to compare their present life to a past one in order to find the answers.

And may God help you if you even admit to suspecting that you were someone who DID make it into history books.
I guess it's better to be snide and sarcastic than it is to feel that you were...say...Napoleon.
At least it makes you LOOK superior, to those who mistake snide sarcasm for wit and depth.

Soooo, the more astute people, you know, the ones who COULD convince us (at least a little) wisely keep silent and the only voices we hear are the looneys who don't know enough to keep under the radar...or the snide sarcastic ones who bully everyone into keeping quiet.

That's too bad, cause I'd be interested in knowing how people cope with having memories of a life of such priviledge and such pain.

And I pray that all goes better for you this time.

Mary

9

Having Fun! / Re: Romanov Dreams

« on: November 28, 2004, 12:33:57 AM »

For what it's worth I had an odd one a little under a month ago.

I was standing on what seemed to be a stage in an ornately decorated theater--lots of gilt, velvet, wedding cake plaster and what have you.

The place was very well lit and I believe some people were singing hymns somewhere near by.
At my right side and standing just a step or two to my rear was Alexandra.

I remember her dress was white satin, and extremely ornately decorated with white on white embroidery. The dress was of I'd say a 1890s vintage and screamed WORTH or some other designer of note--
There was however something very odd about it. In the middle of her beautifully beaded and embroidered skirt there was a large patch!

It seemed, in my dream, to be made of some rough material...almost like burlap!!!
I was puzzling over this oddity when she turned and began to walk off upstage to my right.

I called after her...

"Sunny? Sunny!"
but she continued to walk away from me.

I think I woke up soon afterward.
I'm still mystified about that dress though.

--Mary

10

News Links / Tracking the Nicholas & Alexandra Exhibit

« on: November 27, 2004, 02:10:20 AM »

Good news for those of us in the Midwest...
http://www.cincypost.com/2004/02/18/nich021804.html

The N&A exhibit is slated to be in Ohio in January of '05!

--Mary
(who is in Iowa and can't WAIT!)

11

Having Fun! / Re: Who's your Favorite Romanov???

« on: November 26, 2004, 12:26:00 PM »

I'm sorry but the compulsion is just too much for me.

I "Heart" Misha

He just seems like a really decent sort for all of the reasons mentioned in previous posts.

Mary

12

The Myth and Legends of Survivors / Re: People Who Knew the Imperial Family and Anna Anderson

« on: September 03, 2004, 09:24:26 PM »

Well said Janet_W.
A culture that practically deifies anyone in the 14-35 age range and virtually ignores the existance and gifts/talents of older adults doesn't help with cross-generational appreciation either.

13

The Imperial Family / Re: Grand Duke Dmitriy Pavlovitch, his wife Audrey Emery, and descendants

« on: August 19, 2004, 08:26:57 PM »

I've always felt nothing but sympathy for Dimitri.
He had the shell shocked look of someone from under whom life made a habit of pulling the proverbial rug.

And so it did!

From the loss of his parents one to death, which while painful IS at least understandable (especially considering the childbed mortality rate of the times) and one to far more ambiguous fate--to the complete dissolution of his world Dimitri had to cope with much.

I find it hard, however to believe that he and GD Misha's wife actually...er...crossed the Rubicon.
Strikes me as a bit more of a "flirtation" than anything else, but since I wasn't invited to any of their tete-a-tetes (what's up with THAT?) I can't say for sure.

Mary

14

The Final Chapter / Re: Grand Duchesses and soldiers at Ekaterinburg

« on: August 17, 2004, 06:48:35 PM »

Drew Barrymore is about 15 years too old to play Marie in any movie.

Sadly, you're right but back when she was younger she had that kind of winsome, sweetness and if you look at some of the photos of Marie and Anastasia visiting the hospital they had a similar look.




Natalie Portman seems about the only person in Hollywood who could pull off girlish sweetness.

Mary

15

The Final Chapter / Re: Grand Duchesses and soldiers at Ekaterinburg

« on: August 17, 2004, 03:19:11 PM »

Oh but how about Drew Barrymore with dark hair as Marie.

She has such a sweet look when she isn't in the modern girl makeup.

Mary