Crazy Overnights: Finnish First
Published October 2023
By Greg Elwell | 5 min read
It started with a request to rent the neighbor’s front yard. Now, it’s a cool and calming place to stay with an added message: You can do it too.
When Matt and Amanda Hakola moved with their three kids from Oregon to Bartlesville for work, it was a culture shock.
“We’ve lived all over the world, and the move to Oklahoma was the biggest change we’ve experienced,” Amanda says.
Fresh produce takes the place of the front lawn when staying at the Talo House in Bartlesville. Photo by Lori Duckworth
Facing supply chain issues during COVID-19, they created Ragtag Resilience—a website chronicling the reclamation of their land, producing food for neighbors, and a movement that helps others do the same. After the Hakolas’ front and back yards were planted with crops, and space was made for raising chickens, they realized they needed more room. Luckily for them, the house next door only was intermittently occupied.
“We called it the raccoon house, because there were big holes near the roof where we could see four or five raccoons coming and going,” Matt says. “So we got ahold of the owner and offered to rent her front yard so we could raise more crops.”
That request was denied—the neighbor was going to sell the property. So the Hakolas purchased it themselves, planning to possibly tear down the house, put a rental space in its place, and expand their garden.
“When we started looking at the cost of tearing it down, clearing it off, and purchasing a small house to replace it, we realized it might be cheaper to renovate,” Amanda says.
Love to cook? Bartlesville's Talo House is equipped with everything a chef could ask for. Photo by Matt Hakola
The Talo House—Talo is the Finnish word for place or house—is their masterpiece, showing off not only their family history but also their ethos. Decorated in Scandanavian farmhouse style, Talo sports a rich red exterior with white highlights and a bright yellow door. But guests who rent the house will be just as taken with the interior. The hardwood floors don’t hide their age. There’s a creak when padding across the house from a trio of bedrooms to a chef’s kitchen and dining room.
The decor is fun, fresh, and farm-inspired. Touches mostly come from family antiques gathered from parents and grandparents over the years that had been lost in the clutter of their home. And while many agricultural enthusiasts might shy away from modern conveniences, the Hakolas go the other direction with super-fast WiFi, a flat-screen TV in the living room, and a full complement of kitchen wares that will make even the most dedicated foodie green with envy. The dual-sided refrigerator-freezer combo is large enough to easily store a month’s worth of groceries with space to spare. The stove is a dual-fuel beast that can handle a full-sized brisket inside and all the fixings cooking on top. A food processor, stand mixer, stockpots, cast-iron skillets, roasters, Dutch ovens, and professional knife set are just the tip of the iceberg . . . lettuce. Visitors will want to check out the fridge right away, where a half-dozen rainbow eggs from the backyard chickens are waiting when available.
“We had a couple who booked a stay and figured they’d go out and find someplace to eat, but once they saw the kitchen, they went to the grocery store instead,” Amanda says. “We wanted people to be inspired to do it for themselves.”
That’s the Ragtag Resilience way: leading those who are interested in self-sufficiency to give it a shot and discover that they, too, have what it takes to grow and prepare their own food.
