Stop by this Saturday or Sunday between 1:00 and 4:00 to tour this four-bedroom Oak View home for sale: 

Open House Details: 

Location: 40 Almond Avenue in Oak View
Dates: Saturday (9/27) and Sunday (9/28)
Time: 1:00 to 4:00

Located in the Rolling Hills Estates neighborhood, this four-bedroom home is just a walk or bike ride away from dining, shopping, the post office, grocery stores, and more.

It is also just a short drive to the shops, cafes, spas, and galleries in Ojai’s downtown village and the camping, fishing, and water park at Lake Casitas.

This approximately 1,958-square-foot home has an open floor plan with flexible spaces, large closets, ceiling fans, a walk-in pantry, a gas fireplace with a brick hearth, and an extra-large family room with a garden window.

There are also unique touches throughout that make this home stand out, such as the molding around the interior doors, wainscoting, clawfoot bathtub, two bay windows with window seats, a built-in desk and bookshelves, and a vintage O’Keefe & Merritt gas range.

Outside, there is a covered patio, an additional patio, garden area, RV parking, two-car garage, drought-resistant landscaping, and a river rock walkway and borders in the front yard.  

Visit the property information page for more photos and information, or stop by the open house this weekend to take a tour!

Evaporation can account for the loss of an average of one-quarter inch of pool water per day, which, depending on the size of your pool, can add up to thousands – or tens of thousands – of gallons of water lost each year. Since we are generally in some state of drought here and are currently in a severe drought, everything we can do to save water is a step in the right direction. 

If you have a swimming pool and would like to save money and conserve water by reducing evaporation, here are six tips to try.

Get a pool cover. 
This one is too obvious to not be first on this list. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), using a pool cover prevents up to 95 percent of evaporation. There is a variety of choices available, including manual and automatic options. Using a cover also keeps your pool cleaner, keeps the water warmer, and, depending on the type of cover you install, a cover can also make your pool safer. 

Try a liquid pool cover. 
Liquid pool covers (aka liquid solar covers, liquid solar blankets) create an invisible barrier on top of the water the reduces evaporation, heat loss, and chemical loss. 

Turn off water features when not in use. 
Waterfalls and fountains are beautiful and relaxing, but they also make the water in your pool evaporate faster. So, when you are not using them as a focal point during a dinner party or to enjoy the look and sound of moving water while lounging by the pool, turn them off. 

Lower the temperature on your pool heater. 
The warmer the water is, the faster it will evaporate. That makes simply lowering your pool temperature by a few degrees an easy way to reduce pool water evaporation this summer. You will also benefit from using less electricity to heat your pool. 

Add shade and windbreaks around your pool. 
Since heat and wind are two of the main causes of evaporation, reducing these elements around your pool can help you save water. Consider privacy fencing, trees and shrubs, or a shade structure to protect your pool from the elements. 

Maintain pool chemicals. 
Test the chemical balance of your pool regularly to ensure that you are maintaining proper pH and alkalinity. When chemical imbalances occur, the water is less stable, which increases evaporation. 

Using a local pool maintenance service is the best way to ensure that your chemicals are regularly tested and balanced. If you need a professional to help with any of these other tips, such as installing a fence or planting trees, make sure to use local contractors and vendors to support the local economy. 

Stop by this Saturday (9/13) between 1:00 and 4:00 to tour this four-bedroom Oak View home for sale! 

Features include: 
Four bedrooms, two bathrooms
Approximately 1,958 square feet
Gas fireplace
Wood-burning stove
Walk-in pantry
Large closets
O'Keefe & Merritt gas stove
Ceiling fans
Wainscoting
Two bay windows with window seats
Two-car garage
RV parking
Drought-resistant landscaping
River rock walkway and borders
Covered outdoor living area
Additional patio
Raised garden bed
Walk to shops, dining, post office, markets
Short drive to downtown Ojai
Short drive to Lake Casitas

Visit the property information page for more photos and information, or stop by during the open house for a tour!

If you would like to have a food garden but are not sure where to start or don’t have much room to work with, a patio herb garden might be a good first step. There are lots of options for herbs that grow well in containers and small spaces, and herbs generally require less care than other food plants. This makes them an appealing choice for busy people or folks who don’t think they have much of a green thumb. 

You can grow a variety of herbs for culinary, medicinal, or ritual purposes, or you can create a themed herb garden for specific purposes, such as a cocktail herb garden, herbal tea garden, pasta sauce herb garden, or space clearing herb garden. 

Here are some examples: 

Cocktail or Mocktail Herb Garden – Almost any edible herb can be used in some type of drink recipe, but if you would like to start a cocktail herb garden that allows you to harvest fresh herbs for cocktails and mocktails at your next party, some good options to start with are sage, basil, mint, and lavender. These herbs all grow well here and lend themselves well to an array of food and drink recipes. 

Herbal Tea Garden – Camellia sinensis (tea) takes too much space and too much time for most backyard gardeners to bother with, but you can grow herbs for herbal teas – more accurately called tisanes or herbal infusions – that you can harvest and enjoy for their medicinal properties or simply their taste. Herbs to consider for an herbal tea garden include mint, chamomile, lemon verbena, lemon balm, lavender, parsley, and coriander. Most of these herbs can also be used in culinary recipes, which makes this a versatile patio herb garden option. 

Pasta Sauce Herb Garden – If you love cooking Italian foods that include flavorful sauces, consider growing basil, oregano, parsley, thyme, and oregano. 

Ritual Herb Garden – If your goal is to grow herbs for cultural, spiritual or ritual purposes, the best herbs for your garden will depend on the practice or ritual for which you are growing them. For example, if the purpose of your garden is to grow herbs for space clearing, smudging, or saining, you might consider growing juniper, elder, rosemary, lavender, mugwort, thyme, or sage. 

I feel pretty strongly that anyone who has the ability to grow at least a small amount of their own food should give it a try. Even if it is just a single pot on a kitchen windowsill, it can at least help us stay a bit more connected and mindful about our food, can help children learn where food comes from, and reminds us to appreciate the efforts of the farmworkers who make it possible for us to have food on our tables each day. 

Herbs are some of the easiest food plants to grow, so if you are looking for an easy way to start or expand your backyard garden, give a patio herb garden a try.