By DAN LANGFORD

I was reminded at a family gathering yesterday of a funny old rural pronunciation I haven’t thought of in years.  My younger brother’s little boy was out playing in the yard, and got scared about a flying insect.  He called to his daddy, who saw the bug and proclaimed, “It’s a wawst!”

My brother speaks impeccable English, but he, like I, often gets so tickled by various mispronunciations that he’ll incorporate them into his speech for fun.  Wawsts, for those who may not have figured out what I’m talking about yet, are wasps; but our late daddy used to laugh about how everyone around Brooks, GA called them “wawsts” during his growing-up years.

Wawst season is about over, but when the weather begins getting warm next spring, be mindful of them when you’re outdoors.  Few things hurt worse than a wawst sting.