Croeso

 According to Ancestry.com this is my dna profile.  This is not news to me, I grew up knowing this in general if not the specific percentages.  It does not show any dna link to my Native American great great grandmother but that is understandable as dna is random.  

I was raised by my parents and influenced greatly by my maternal grandparents and aunts.  I am an only but I have a cousin that is a sister figure to me from this same side of my family.

  I adored my grandfather, tough old bird that he was.  He was the one who piqued my interest in family things because he was the only one that was not a native Texan. He was born in Pennsylvania to Welsh immigrants.  He didn’t talk much but what he did say about his life in Pennsylvania was enough to stir my interest.  As a result, I have always identified  myself , after American and Texan, as Welsh.   I guess most people lean toward one thing or another in their ancestry.  Mine is Welsh.

I have an interest in the language so once in awhile I look up Welsh words and pronunciations.  So far I know three.  Really zipping along, aren’t I? Today I learned croeso—welcome.  It is  pronounced croy-saw.  There is a really good youtube video by a guy with the last name Hugh who pronounced these words beautifully.   I also know diolch which means thanks or gratitude and cwtch, pronounced cutch, like butch, which means a cuddle or hug, the Welsh version of hygge.

I wish I had asked more questions of my grandfather.  We knew a lot about his Mam, she was English born but Welsh raised.  According to census records she was a Welsh speaker and family history tells us she was very short, loved her children fiercely and was totally intolerant of anything she didn’t think was right.  She was also very religious which is why there are only a couple of photos of her.  She also needed a baby name book because she was dismal at naming her children.We really don’t know anything about my great grandfather except he was jovial, could expand his chest to 52 inches and died young of lung disease.  I am having difficulty locating his parents.  However, he and my great grandmother lost two babies in Wales and I am well on my way to finding them now.  We had heard stories of two babies being buried there but nobody had  names or specifics but through modern technology I have found them and an getting the documentation now.

So what do you do during pandemic lockdowns?  You learn words in the mother tongue!  My conversations will be limited though — welcome, thankful and cuddle.  Well ok, at least they are positive words.

Oh and I love dragons and daffodils And Celtic music talks to my soul.  So, that’s it! Have a great Sunday!