Take off your boots and stay a while at this spacious country home with plenty of room to spread out.

Four bedrooms, plus two offices offer flexible spaces for a home office, homeschooling room, craft room, yoga studio, playroom or game room.

Pass the solar-powered entry gate and arena as you head down the long driveway to find an over-sized, two-car garage, RV parking and plenty of guest parking.

A large entertaining deck at the main entry overlooks the arena and grass area, while the family entry has a mud room area and is conveniently close to the laundry room for shedding the outside world before settling in in front of the river rock fireplace in the living room or heading to the country kitchen to make dinner.

Covered corrals and a turnout area are found beyond the large, separate workshop, and there is a tall retaining wall at the back of the property, which borders a seasonal creek.

There is also on-grid solar, mature trees and landscaping, perimeter fencing and mountain views.

To see more photos and learn more about this Oak View horse property for sale, visit the property information page. To schedule a showing, contact Nora Davis today.

As the weather warms and we move towards spring, it is clear that most of our entertaining still needs to occur outdoors. And, even for those of us who may be holding off on hosting dinner parties, being at home this much over the past year has certainly resulted in wanting to spend more time outside. So, as we prepare for spring, here are seven things you can do to make sure your outdoor living areas are ready to be enjoyed by you, your family, your pets, and your guests.
 
1. Remove the clutter.
Removing clutter is always the first step. Before you can prepare any space for entertaining or comfortable, everyday living, you must first remove unnecessary items and put away any clutter that has collected over the last few months. Now is a good time to clean out and organize your garden shed as well, since that can free up space for some of the clutter currently hanging out on your patio.
 
2. Check your irrigation system.
Doing an overall check of your irrigation system allows you to prepare for spring planting and to make sure that there are no leaks or wayward sprinkler heads affecting your outdoor living areas. Prune bushes blocking sprinkler heads, walk your system while it is running to look for leaks, adjust sprinkler heads to ensure the most efficient spray patterns, and check your rain sensor to make sure it is working properly.
 
3. Clean your home’s exterior and gutters.
When the rainy season comes to an end, it is a good time to clean the gutters again, remove cobwebs from your fascia and eaves, and spray down the exterior of your home. The rain may have taken care of any accumulated dust, but it also may have splashed mud on the exterior walls, so a quick spray with a garden hose is probably in order.
 
4. Clean your outdoor kitchen.
If you are like most folks in Ojai, you have probably been using your outdoor kitchen almost as much in winter as you do in summer. As the weather improves, you will likely start using it even more, so take this opportunity to give your grill a good cleaning, clean out the fridge, and get your servingware organized before your next al fresco dinner party.
 
5. Clean your fire pit, patio fireplace, or other fire feature.
Since you have likely been using your fire features throughout winter, now is a good time to clean them, make sure they are functioning properly, and check for safety issues before the spring entertaining season begins.
 
6. Refresh your patio furniture.
Clean metal or plastic patio furniture by wiping it down with a simple vinegar-water mix and a damp rag. If that doesn’t quite do the trick, make a paste by mixing baking soda with water to create a mildly abrasive cleaner for tougher spots. For wood furniture, use a wood cleaner followed by furniture wax to add a layer of protection.
 
If a good cleaning is not quite enough to bring your patio furniture back to its previous luster, it might be time to give it a new coat of stain or paint to refresh its finish.
 
7. Clean or replace patio cushions and dog beds.
Between the wind and the rain, patio cushions can get a bit worse for wear over the winter. Take the opportunity to launder or spot clean them as we move into the spring entertaining season. If they are beyond repair, or you simply want to freshen the look of your patio, you might consider replacing them instead.
 
We mustn’t forget our furry friends when sprucing up our outdoor living areas. If you left your dogs’ beds out in the rain one too many times over the winter, it might be time to upgrade their outdoor living with new beds that match your patio cushions.

Californians are accustomed to ongoing drought conditions and have spent years honing our water conservation efforts. With so much else going on in the world at the moment, it is easy to let something like watching our water consumption fall to the wayside, particularly knowing that we moved out of a state of drought earlier this year. But La Niña seems to be making this winter drier than usual, which could mean an end to our current reprieve.
 
This means we cannot let up on our efforts and must continue making water-saving choices whenever possible. One easy way to conserve water is to choose drought-tolerant ground covers when designing or re-designing your landscaping. So, if installing or replacing a ground cover is on your pandemic project list, here are five low-water options to consider.
 
1. Gravel: In the realm of drought-friendly ground covers, it does not get much better than a ground cover that requires no water at all. Gravel comes in a variety of sizes and colors and is a good choice for driveways, walkways, areas around fire features, and other outdoor living areas. Using gravel as a ground cover also limits weed growth and can help control erosion and runoff.
 
2. Mulch, Bark, or Wood Chips: This type of ground cover requires no water, is more affordable than many options, and is available in a variety of sizes, types, and colors. Like gravel, these can help limit weed growth, but they will eventually break down or fade, so you can expect to replenish these ground covers more often.
 
3. Lantana: One of the great things about lantana is that it is very easy to find. This flowering, evergreen perennial spreads easily, requires little water once established (I hardly ever water mine), and comes in some beautiful colors, including purple, pink, white, blue, red, yellow, and orange. When purchasing lantana, make sure you choose a ground cover cultivar, since it also comes in shrub cultivars that will not work well as a ground cover.
 
4. Creeping Rosemary: This evergreen perennial herb cascades quite nicely, so this is a good choice for raised borders or allowing to grow over walls. As a ground cover, creeping rosemary spreads quickly and is drought tolerant once established. It blooms with clusters of blue blossoms, attracts bees to your garden, fills the air with its aroma, and can even be harvested for culinary purposes.
 
5. Mexican Fleabane: Mexican fleabane is a fast-growing, flowering perennial native to Mexico and Central America. Often chosen for planting in rock gardens or in spots where it can thrive in the crevices between paving stones, this hardy ground cover loves full sun and will happily self-seed to promote spread. This one requires a bit more maintenance and water than lantana or creeping rosemary, but if you love the idea of a carpet of daisy-like flowers, you might not mind.