The Bright Side: Coddiwomple!

Coddiwomple is a verb that means to travel in a purposeful manner towards a vague destination. I thought this was one of those words used long ago in Ireland or Scotland. Nope, this word is modern English slang. I love it. I also love to do it. Just meander around the countryside with no schedule to keep and no real goal in mind is a relaxing way to spend the day. My sister, Bridget, and I did this on our way home last week. We had a destination, Spencer, but we did not have a specific route to travel. We meandered around from Fort Wayne to Spencer, taking in the sights of the awakening land and avoiding the Interstate highways.

Our travels began in Fort Wayne. We headed south driving through small towns and enormous farm fields. A few miles north of our first stop, we drove through the town of Berne. Berne is a beautiful small town and is on the list of places to visit again. My only goal for the day was to visit the home of Gene Stratton Porter in Geneva and her beloved Limberlost Swamp. I discovered her books when I was thirteen and devoured as many as I could find. I had found a kindred spirit; someone who loved to roam the wild places as much as I. Someone who felt the sadness and anger as the wild places disappeared.

As often happens a monkey wrench was thrown into my plans. We easily found the beautiful cabin she and her husband called home. The State Historical site is only about a block from Highway 27. Unfortunately, it is not open on Monday or Tuesday. We were there on a Tuesday. The two-story cabin was built in 1894 with logs from Wisconsin. The east side of the house has five huge windows to catch the morning sun. We wanted to sit a spell and enjoy the porch that covers the front of the house. Although the house and nearby Educational Center were closed, we were lucky to find a man who works there. He was glad to share his ample knowledge with us about the Porter’s, the Limberlost and the history of Geneva. He told us that the cabin was heated with natural gas piped in from the wells that Mr. Porter owned east of town.

The perimeter of the property is marked with an ancient rock fence. Flowers and bushes of many kinds line the fence. The spring ephemerals were in bloom, blood root, spring beauties, anemones, columbines, wild geraniums, mingled with lily of the valley and buttercups. The buds of the iris and the peonies were giving a hint of the beauty soon to come. The stumps of many lilac and rose of Sharon bushes were visible in the borders. The caretakers are attempting to remove non-natives flowers and replace them with the natives that Gene Stratton Porter loved. Standing in the back yard of the cabin, one cans see an eagle’s nest across the highway in an ancient tree. I stood there trying to imagine what the view would have been in 1894, before they clear cut the ‘swamp’ and drained it. The ground would have been covered with the blooms of trilliums, pickerel weed, orchids, ferns, and mosses. The herons and cranes would be nesting in the shady nooks. No wonder she loved to roam the area. The wild beauty has been lost. I am thankful she recorded what she saw and felt in her many books.

The small town is surrounded by farm fields now, but the recent rains had created ponds in all the low areas. Due to recent rains, our impromptu guide advised us not to tackle the backroads through the restored wetlands on that day. Many of the roads were flooded, some were closed. I was very disappointed. I especially wanted to take a short hike in one of the restored wetland areas called “Music of the Wild.” That particular Nature Preserve is named from the title of one of her books. There are several nature preserves in the area. One is on Loblolly Creek, one on Limberlost Creek. One north of town is on the Wabash. I thought about attempting to at least drive out to one of them. However, we

saw the barricades on some of the county roads between Geneva and Highway 18. Common sense prevailed. I will see the Loblolly marsh another day.

Gene Stratton Porter was born in 1863, near Wabash, Indiana. She was the last of twelve children. Her mother was forty-seven when she was born. Due to her mother’s poor health, she was able to roam the family farm un-attended most of her childhood. She developed a love of nature and a great curiosity about all things wild. She married Charles Porter in 1884. They had one child, a daughter. She authored many books, fiction, and non-fiction. The literary world did not think much of her work. Many claimed her stories were unrealistic and her characters too virtuous. The public did not agree. In 1912 her novel “The Harvester” #1 on the best seller list. Her books, “Freckles” and “Girl of the Limberlost” were also best sellers. She once said, “I never bother my head with what they think.” In 1918 she went to California to dabble in making movies. She wrote one of my favorite books in California, “Keeper of the Bees”. Unfortunately, in 1924 she was in an auto accident and succumbed to her injuries. Her books do seem rather old-fashioned or out-dated now, but I still enjoy reading them. I’d love to have a copy of the non-fiction book she wrote about the moths of the Limberlost. The nocturnal flying beauties fascinate me.

‘til next time,

Annie

This article originally appeared on Evening World: The Bright Side: Coddiwomple!