Jenny's House Burned Clayton Fire

Please Help Me Start Over

My home and business burned down in the Lower Lake Clayton Fire, with no insurance. It was my dream and my main project for 4 ½ years. It was the original dairy farm house of Lower Lake, owned by the Copseys, who were the first settlers in the county. I loved it from first sight, even though it needed so much work.

I'd saved every penny through college, and used it all to buy the house without a mortgage. I was proud of accomplishing this at age 28. I hadn’t had it easy before that. Growing up, I shifted between parents and apartments for 10 years in a custody battle. Both parents were homeless while I got through college on scholarships, living in a little hut I made myself in the redwoods. I was so grateful for the opportunity to own this house and restore it in the beautiful Lake County countryside.

There were challenges. I injured my wrist working on the floors and plumbing, and learned that I had Kienbock's Disease. After surgery to relieve a dying bone in my dominant hand, I had tendonitis in my left from overuse, and had to wear wrist braces on both wrists and be very careful. I still found ways to paint and fix what I could, but it was painful emotionally and physically. At those times, I felt like the house and ancient land gave me back the strength to keep going.

In these small towns, there aren’t many jobs. I sewed, repaired and modeled vintage clothing and managed to get a large inventory on ebay. The rest of my time and care went into the house. I believed in the future of the neighborhood and community of Lower Lake, and hoped the shelter and sanctuary of that home would be there for the rest of my life.

I had help from wonderful people. My friends Goat and Lissa had just helped me sand and finish the floors (glowing Douglas Fir!). Goat had generously worked to replace the roof & insulation, made electrical repairs, and made rooms in the attic and the basement. Tom & Lissa put on a roof. Ron leveled floors, re-inforced a lacking foundation and replaced plumbing with parts he'd saved. Several other friends, like Ed Christwitz, generously gave so much energy to repairing it. I was finally almost there – it was weatherproofed and had transformed.

When the wildfires came last year, I had my car packed for a whole week with necessities, ready to leave at any moment. I couldn’t believe it when fires came again, in August, only a few streets away. I rushed to prepare for the worst. On Sunday morning, the Clayton Fire was stopped at Morgan Valley Road. The smoke was clearing from the sky - I felt so relieved. That afternoon, I went back to work and planned to get up on a ladder and try to fix house vents.

Then I heard planes again. The light had changed. A giant cloud of smoke was rising, blocking out the sunlight. The cloud turned with the wind and came straight towards us. My neighbor shouted to me that I should get out while I could, and pointed to flames one house away. I raced to put a running sprinkler on the roof, got my cat in the car, and grabbed a hairbrush and a few last things. I hesitated for a moment in the kitchen, saying a bewildered goodbye. I watched from half a mile away as a huge plume of smoke went up, crying. It's amazing how so much work can disappear in a few moments.

When my house burned, I lost almost all of my possessions – everything I couldn’t fit in the car. My father’s lifelong artwork and photography (he committed suicide when I was 21), tools, violin, guitar, art supplies and easel. Sewing machines and sergers. Vintage clothes from every era. I had collected books and tiny antiques for years and had created a miniature world in the attic. I was starting to record music & make clothing there.

No Insurance - I had insurance for several years, but when I tried to save by switching to the company I had car insurance with, I was surprised to find that there were a few repairs they required after inspecting. I was trying to complete the repairs, got a chimney cap on, but it included paint peeling on my house, and then last summer’s fires meant insurance was hard to get. I had furniture on the porch while friends sanded the floors, and piles of project wood in the yard to clean up while injured… which insurance companies dislike. It rained all winter, so I put it off, and I didn't think more fires would come again. The local arsonist had other ideas!

I wish I could just go home but it's not there - now it’s just a chimney. I wish I could wake up and see everything like it was. Now I only have my car, and what I was able to fit in it. All of my savings went into the house, so I had nothing to fall back on financially. I hope for a chance to start over, and start a new life.

Since then I have replaced clothing and sewing machines, and restarted my ebay business on a small scale, living rent-free. With any money I can raise, I hope to clear the debris and buy or build whatever I can again. I would need at least 50-75K to rebuild, so I am asking for half of that on here and hoping to work for the other half. I miss my town, my neighbors, and all of the details of my life there, and really wish I could go back to it. Thank you so much for anything you can do!