While living in the woods is a dream for many people, the effort to maintain such a property can be too much to handle. That’s why it can be so important for a community to come together and help those who may not be able to care for their property on their own. As residents in California’s Amador County prove, living in a beautiful dream home in the woods should not be restricted for the elderly.
At 101 years old, keeping up with the yard work was just too much for Thelma Clancy.
Thelma and her now deceased husband had moved to the woods and built their house together in 1987. She loved living in the woods, and had done so for the past 30 years. But the maintenance required to live in such a place so close to nature was getting the best of her. Her roof was covered in moss, and trees and debris were all over her yard.
Although she wasn’t bothered by the state of her yard, she was getting warnings from her homeowner’s insurance company. They said that she would lose her homeowner’s insurance if she did not clear her yard, as it heightened her risk for wildfires.
It had been a while since she last cleared her yard, so things were piling up.
Thelma told CBS Sacramento:
“It’s been 15 years or more since I did. Older people can’t do it. It’s very difficult to find help too.”
She was caught in a bind where she had to clear her yard of debris, but she just couldn’t do it herself. She had volunteered in Amador County in various capacities for the last 20 years, and she knew that now was a time that she needed help.
After trying to get help from her county’s Commission on Aging, the town’s sheriff and deputy decided to lend a hand.
Thelma had been a member of Amador County’s Commission on Aging for many years, so she reached out to them and they were able to spread the word through the community. Fortunately, Sheriff Gary Redman and Lieutenant Brandon Cone kindly stepped in to help.
Lieutenant Cone described their thought process by saying:
“I talked to my wife and we both kind of decided if she would allow us…We have property ourselves so, the machinery and the equipment to clear it. So it was kind of in our wheelhouse and we wanted to help out.”
The Sheriff’s Department began coordinating with Thelma’s son, and encouraged other community members to help out as well.
Lieutenant Cone and his wife brought their yard equipment over to Thelma’s house. With the help of a volunteer from the Fire Department, named Kristopher Morris, they managed to clear the land and get the work done efficiently. They hoped that their act of community care would inspire others to act in similar ways.
Thelma had seen acts of kindness around the community before, but it was a different feeling having it happen to her.
She was so grateful that she would be able to keep her homeowner’s insurance now. And, this provided an opportunity for these different community members to get to know each other better.
As a thank you, Thelma made this group of volunteers a home-cooked meal. She also told them all sorts of delightful stories about her 101-year old life, and sent them handwritten thank you cards and candy afterwards. She was truly grateful for their help.
While it was most important that Thelma get a solution to her home insurance problem, the volunteerism here also provided people in the community a chance to get to know one another better. Even in a small town, there is so much for people to learn about their neighbors, and new bonds can form every day.
Watch the video below to learn more about this heartwarming act of kindness!
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