Krutar Homestead Vacation Lodge

12/05/2019

A few beautiful Fall pictures from the Ranch (check out the beautiful Larch in the background!). Winter pics forthcoming!

07/09/2019

07/09/2019

Many of the same shots but these views never get old!

08/29/2016

This is the first time since Grandones arrived that I have even attempted to access Facebook, My dear bride is readying the Homestead House for some folks that helped the Main man Eric get married there. It has been a very challenging year. But even a dumb Swede finally understands he can no longer go like I used to. But-Enjoyed sharing the beauty of the ranch & watching folks try to slow down. If I can ever get Laddy to slow down I may! Hope your summer was full of joy.

06/05/2016

Just in case you were wondering what Jon has been up to these days, I thought I'd post a few pics. When he's not fencing, irrigating, or weeding--he's spending time with the 5 little Krutars. Such gratitude when we consider where he was 1 year ago (recovering from a life threatening brain aneurysm). Though we prayed in earnest, we never dreamed he'd be changing the hand line with his 3 year old grandson one year later.

05/08/2016

Happy Mother's Day for all of you Wonderful Mothers. My dear Wife & I are attempting to get ready for another season. Our Grandones(5) & their SOOPER Mom will be using the Homestead for a while so it should be exciting. I got the water turned on yesterday & Skip & I hauled the paddleboat out so we are ready.
Something strange has been going on with our high tech world. I cannot seem to bring up the khomestead.com site. Also,we get quite a few bookings from VRBO (79453) which we pay $365/ year for but now someone tells me they are charging guests 5%? Please let me know about either of these new twists if you know.
Have a grand summer & do your rain dance please!

04/15/2016

A year ago today I was completing my taxes when I had my brain aneurism. My dear brother Jerry had died the day before. Since he designed our khomestead.com webpage & urged me to have this page I feel compelled to wrote once in awhile. Our sis is floating the CO river to celebrate his life. I think of him often & his spirit lives on here. The latest Krutar joined us last month & was named after two grandfathers & Jerry. Gus Pierre & Mom are doing well and he is a real hit with his siblings. While the ranch work sometimes is daunting I keep going realizing I will soon have three ranch hands to help. The family kept the Homestead rolling with me impaired last season so I am confident we will be ready for everyone again. We look forward to your visit & hope you are enjoying spring. PS Just sent in my tax extension & I am still here!

02/25/2016

..
Yesterday would have been my brother Jerry's 63 birthday. My sis & I were fortunate to spread some of his ashes in HI where he stayed with us in 1972, Our dear sis did it up well-complete with Hawaiin leis. Yesterday on my walk, I had visions of Jan & I racing back from our one room school to see who could hold him first. Life is so short; we must all embrace our loved ones more thoroughly while they are with us. RIP little bro. You are missed by all of us. Jerry did our khomestead.com website & always enjoyed coming back and enjoying the Homestead. Some of your ashes are on the hill with our parents bro.

12/28/2015

4th Annual Christmas at the Homestead House. There's something extra special about this place in the winter.

11/25/2015

As I was visiting today with a guest from two years ago, I thought of Thanksgiving and world events. It is easy to get discouraged, but then we realize how much joy we enjoy. Guests at the Homestead house have certainly added much to our lives. It is so great when we get to see them return. My late bro. wanted me to do this facebook. Being older I resisted. But out of respect for him and all of you that have shared the homestead with us just wanted to say you are all part of my Thanksgiving List!

10/07/2015

Just bid our last guests of the season- Five fellows from all over the country who have made an annual fishing trip 11 years straight. Neat to see long time friends still getting out. It has been a good year. Meredith & Diane filled in for me in grand manner.
I am managing quite well. Therapy is complete & I can even drive again! Thank you for every ones support. Hope to see you next season.

06/29/2015

I am happy to report that I have been out of the hospital for a couple of weeks. I am spending my days doing physical therapy & attempting to follow Diane's guidance. It has been very difficult not staying at the ranch. Fortunately, great friends & neighbors have been keeping irrigating, cattle, & homestead guests going. Hopefully I will be able to spend more time there before long.
I want to thank all of you for the love & support during the past months. The notes, visits & calls have each and all kept me pointed forward. You are all appreciated more than you will ever know. The daily support by my immediate family has been the foundation for my recovery. I want to thank Meredith for keeping folks aware of my status. A man that has one good women stand beside him is fortunate. How lucky am I---- My wife, sis Jan, & Meredith!
Thank you all. Love,
Jon

06/15/2015

What can I say? Our hearts are overflowing with joy and gratitude for what God has done with Jon Krutar--this man is a walking, talking, laughing, smiling, joking, loving miracle!
..A most memorable birthday for Eric as he spent the day this Saturday with his Dad and brother at the ranch. It was Jon's first trip back since April 15th and he was eager to get there! They had a great day together and the pictures speak for themselves. Following the trip to the ranch, we enjoyed a BBQ at our home to further celebrate Eric's day. Jon is getting stronger all the time and certainly not allowing anyone to get in his way! He begins therapy at SPH (Helena) this week and is doing great at home (under the care of Diane and Chad with frequent visits from the Grand-ones).

06/09/2015

I want to mention that the Homestead House at the ranch remains OPEN for reservations this summer. If you already have a reservation on the calendar, we are planning on you! If you are interested in a reservation, please go to the vacation rental page and check the calendar (it should be up to date)! We'd love to have you! One of Jon's great pleasures in life is meeting and greeting...and greeting...and greeting...and greeting a little more his guests at the Homestead;) You can PM me (Meredith) on this page if you have any questions!

06/09/2015

Tomorrow is the day! Jon will be discharged home to Helena! What a day. We are looking forward to having him home to continue his road to recovery. I'm sure many will want to visit and I know Jon would love this. Please call Diane first before you drop in--just to be sure it's a good time. Thank you!

06/03/2015

I'm having trouble posting here so I am sorry if I am repeating myself. But, I wanted to pass on that Jon continues to improve so they don't want to release him from rehab yet. He is not scheduled to discharge until June 10th...and of course, that is tentative also:)

05/26/2015

Jon has a tentative discharge date for June 3rd. He will hopefully then be discharged to home in Helena!

05/22/2015

It must be a good sign when the social worker calls and asks for Jon's shoes! He's up and on his feet--what a week of progress! We had a false alarm discharge plan for today--however, once the staff saw what we saw (Jon improving every day), they decided they better keep him to "optimize" his time in Rehab. We even had the discussion of him possibility getting discharged to HOME he is doing so well.

So, here is what we know: Jon remains at the Providence Center in Missoula until Wednesday. If he continues to improve, he would likely stay there about 1 more week. From there, it is possible that he could be discharged home! We will be seeing him sometime this weekend and I think we will know more after the weekend.

I understand Jon has had a few visitors and more than 1 of them has said, "You wouldn't know anything happened" with his ability to track and follow a conversation. Eric and Chad have been able to talk to him on the phone a bit...big strides! Again, we are giving thanks...

05/18/2015

Update! A lot has happened in a week's time. We visited Jon on his 71st birthday last Wednesday. With a little encouragement from Eric and his youngest granddaughter, Jon woke up from a nap and joined us in the "dining room" for dinner. He was up in a wheelchair and I'll never forget the look on his face when he came around the corner and saw the kids. Raised eyebrows, smirky smile...such an expression from Jon Krutar;) I think Eric and I both felt a huge sense of relief with this visit as it was the first time to have interaction after the 2nd surgery when we felt there was a big setback. Needless to say, it was a very encouraging visit. He knew everyone--was having trouble with fine motor skills and language but nonetheless, was interactive and interested. He even played his pretend "kazoo" for the kids;)

About 24 hours after this visit I get a call from Diane with "good news." She then began to tell me that he started talking up a storm and had the nurses in "stitches." I was amazed. This was Thursday night.

On Friday morning, I received a call from his doctor. We spoke at length about Jon's lack of progress (specifically his inability to stand up with assistance) and his concern that he might have to be discharged soon if this didn't change due to medicare criteria. Nonetheless, he told me that he was still hopeful. We hung up and not 10-15 minutes later, the doctor called back and wanted to update me after visiting Jon in the PT room. "I just wanted to tell you I just saw Jon and he's doing so much better! He's standing up with help, having conversation, and smiling..." Phew!! What great news!

So, Diane called tonight to report that Jon is watching tv, talking to Chad on the phone, and eating well. We have been told by the nurses that despite what we call significant progress, they might have to discharge him this week. We are in the process of identifying a sub-acute facility in Helena for Jon. While we are hopeful he can stay in Missoula as long as possible, this is all very, very good news and we are SO grateful. Thank you again for all of your support and prayer...I will post when we know more about his discharge. With gratitude, Meredith

05/12/2015

What a weekend! Lots of ranch and grandma time for the little Krutars. Eric spent a lot of time fixing fence, coordinating cattle, horses, and pasture, and talking to neighbors while I helped a bit at the Homestead House (which WILL be in business this summer!) and tending to the littles. The weather was beautiful and we were all happy to be there. We visited Jon briefly Saturday--however, he was quite tired after just finishing physical therapy before we arrived. There wasn't any conversation and he only opened his eyes for a few moments during the short visit. He looked at the baby (Paige) and called her "Cece" and it seemed as if his speech was slurred. The nurse mentioned that she was a bit concerned about his level of consciousness (so tired). We went for dinner and then returned hoping he'd be more awake but that wasn't the case. I called today and am waiting on a phone call from the doctor to ask questions about his prognosis and what we should expect going forward. We do know that the surgery to place the shunt was successful and so I am expecting to see some improvement each day given the pressure relief. Jon's birthday is Wednesday and Chad and Diane will celebrate with him. Eric and I will go if we are able. Please continue your prayers for healing and recovery--this latest incident with hydrocephalus feels like a setback and so the prayers continue. Thank you for all of your sweet and encouraging messages--I am anxious for the day when Jon can catch up on his Facebook updates and realize how loved he really is! Blessings-Meredith