La vie est bonne Lodge Montana, Dearborn River

John, let's go! I'll join you tomorrow!

Good to hear, Gary! That's exactly what we do ...

JD is correct, a very rainy spring means good fishing through August, but it has backed up all the mow, road, and septic work in the canyon. My husband flew out Tuesday and he and the neighbor trimmed and mowed. The big mower is coming this weekend. Septic guys said they cannot come safely -- in today's snow!

Great guests! The road is "typical Montana" gravel there is a joke about Montana that it will be pabed, "but not in our lifetimes." We've had a lot of rain and all the neighbors are discussing it, we go in as a community to fix it ... as soon as our Montana-no-humidity summer begins, if ever this year!

I am so sorry! We would have been happy to send the cleaners back had we known! The area has been hit with a LOT of rain, a comfort to see rain with so many fires burning. So I know the landscapers have had a heck of a time getting the kennel and yard mowed for you. Our total apologies if they seem to have skipped the required interior kennel cleaning that is on their lists. Again I certainly would have sent them back had we known during your stay!

You are welcome; I thank your Mom for your manners. I know you are too old for me to compliment you and your brothers, but there it is!

Sefton's family were as courteous and gracious as they could be. Back at you, Sefton, come again any time!

Matt was terrific. Unfortunately, Big Sky Country is getting more populated and we have neighbors on 10 and 30 acres now next to our 10.

I did not know about the housekeeping mix-up because they were expected guests. I am so sorry the house was this way ... right after they left I flew out and spent a week at the house doing exactly the kinds of deep cleaning they recommend. I asked the housekeeper to spend more time each trip; she had been budgeting, and we hired a handyman along with my husband to do a list of things. The handyman was still working on power washing the garage, trimming trees, killing noxious weeds and the like for a week after we left and he is repainting the cabin this week. This was a scheduled trip but it sounds like I was weeks late. I am truly sorry that the house was this way, I have before and after of the bathroom and kitchen cabinets, for example, and this won't happen again. That said, had the guests let me know during their stay I would have provided the list to the housekeeper and asked her to go when they were on the river ... the reason fly fishing is so good in Montana is that the small bugs are plentiful, so I have seen us sweep/mop/dust all morning and by dinner, you have what looks like dust on the floors but are small dead bugs. That's Montana. But overall cleaning let's fix right away NOW. We are not sensitive -- if you feel that way, that is the way it is. Let's fix it. Thank you for taking the time to write, Audrey.

The guest from hell. He asked my husband to guarantee good fishing and my husband said even guides and God do not guarantee. We have 5 fly fishing shops with guides in a 10 mile radius on the Blue Ribbon section of the Missouri River, I did guarantee that the video was shot in our back yard and nearby. We found large mouth BASS rubber worm bait in the house! Our rivers have smaller trout. We even had left him see the house and walk/fish the river in advance -- he knew the layout and could have canceled with a full refund. It rained during his stay and he complained that the fishing was not good -- that's God. The housekeeper used the DVD when she was cleaning the day before. When they complained she drove over to show him how to work the DVD and clean wherever he wanted -- then he changed his mind, but she was already there when I called her. The DVD worked fine. Starlink wifi was working and so was non T-Mobile cell phone service for her. Black widow spiders are huge if they are a third of a inch big, his "evidence" is a much larger crushed brown wolf spider with those exact markings. None of our neighbors or any of us, cleaners included, have seen black widows. There was no evidence of mice droppings before or after their stay. There is no pantry closet -- there are only cleaning supplies in that closet. We have plug in deterrents, do keep bait in the kennel, and use natural poison and deterrents (clean with Pine Sol, put peppermint oil around) and caulk regularly. I reminded him not to keep any food on the counters. His "evidence" of mice was a picture of the baseboard in the 1890s cabin (on GPS as a historical building) where we caulk under the baseboard tops to preserve the historical sanctity. A picture from the cabin proves a mouse in the kitchen? There were no bugs in the cabin when the cleaners left that morning. Fishermen come from all over the world; Montana bug hatches encourage feeding fish -- but when the cleaner checked the cabin for spiders, she cleaned again. Communications are supposed to be on the web site so VRBO can help. We have 10 pages of texts to my husband and many, many emails before, during and after his stay accusing over and over. He claims to have reported us to VRBO General Counsel, county and state authorities and to sue -- but it could all be over if he got a one-night refund. We asked him not to harass us any further.

I'm so sorry! I learned these cleaners forgot the combination to the supply closet! Honest comments like yours help us maintain a more comfortable stay for everyone, and I am sorry I did not know this unfortunate situation to help you during your stay. We'll set out supplies now, Scott. See you next year as always!