Dora and Zigmunta, Later

I introduced my Mom's maternal Aunt, Dora, and my Mom's maternal Grandmother, Zigmunta, in an early post.

After the Soviets occupied Lithuania in 1944, Dora and Zigmunta continued to live in Jadzė's and Jake's house.

Zigmunta and Dora loved little dogs. Dora wrote the dog's name, "Pupsikas" (pronounced "Poop-sick-us") on the back of this photo. "Pupsikas" is a Lithuanian diminutive for "Pupa," a word that means "little bean." It's an affectionate term.

My Mom, for example, has called me "Pupulė" for much of my life.

We've raised two dogs,  Pupa and Poppy, who had similar names. I once told a friend that my dog's name means "little bean" in Lithuanian. He responded, "In English, it just means 'shit'."

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, August 10, 1957. Dora sits with her Mother, Zigmunta, and the Chihuahua / Miniature Pinscher dog, Pupsikas.