The "Pink Lady Slipper"

When I was about two or three, in order to find work in his field, my dad moved us to the Eastern Shore, all the way from a little town called Marion, Va. This was where my mom was from. She lived there all her life. All her family and friends were there. Everything familiar, everything safe. She had to leave it behind. She was pregnant with Bobby and I was approaching the three year mark. We moved to a tiny trailer park in Delmar, De. My mom went back "home" to have Bobby, and Donna for that matter, but we lived here. Somewhere between the ages of four or five we moved again. Still in a trailer, but on a wooded lot. And. . . still in Delmar. I have scattered memories of each place. But the memory for now is on the wooded lot.

Although the lot was somewhat cleared my dad still had a little "cleaning up" to do. That left the door open for exploring. And I did just that. Of course I didn't go very far. After all, it was the "woods" and I was little! On one particular journey I found the prettiest flower I had ever seen in my young life. It was at the base of a tree. It was pink and soft and I loved it. I took my prize to mom and dad to show it off. That's when I learned it was a "Lady Slipper". Oh my. My imagination conjured up all kinds of questions and pretty images! What little forest pixie could have worn this "shoe"? Did she have wings, too? Was she still out there? I wanted to know. But more than that I wanted to find more Lady Slippers! I would only find one more Lady Slipper during the time we lived on that wooded lot. But that didn't stop me from looking. And looking. Diligently, every chance I got, I would search. I still look today when I am in the woods on a trail or just exploring. Not that I have been in the woods for a bit. But I do look when I have the opportunity!

Apparently Pink Lady Slippers are rare and hard to come by - grow wild in the woods - are part of the orchid family - endangered - found more northerly? - and are to be left alone when discovered. Of course this was not in my information bank some fifty years ago, or I would have let the most beautiful flower I had seen, alone. I would have left it for the forest pixies! And I would have visited it often! And I would have daydreamed about the affairs of such a pretty flower!

We lived in that little trailer until I started third grade. That's when dad made one more, final, move. We moved to a little "fifties" rancher in Fruitland, MD. It was a "post war build". By then Donna was born. New adventures in another "new world"!