“You’ll have a book that would essentially be ‘Lord of the Rings,’ but instead of following the fellowship, you would have a romantic couple at the center,” said Netta Baker, an advanced instructor in Virginia Tech’s Department of English who teaches a course on romantic fiction.

While Baker said the genre has its share of clunkers, there are also books that are well-written with complex female heroines.

And, just as Jane Austen wrote about the anxieties and wants of women in the Georgian Era 鈥� a woman finding a wealthy suitor to ensure her financial security, for instance 鈥� today’s romance novels, particularly the sci-fi subgenre, tells stories of worlds where women are highly prioritized, highly respected and safe.

“Austin was easily accessible to literate people who read during her time,” said Baker. “She’s difficult for us prose wise, because we don’t speak like that anymore, so it can take a little bit more parsing.”

“But a number of these authors that are published today have exceptional writing skills across the board, and their genre tends to be what sees them dismissed or not even really well known in literary circles,” she said.

Among the currently popular books are Ruby Dixon’s “Ice Planet Barbarians,” the “Fourth Wing” series by Rebecca Yarros, and the “Throne of Glass” series by Sarah J. Maas.

Romantasy has helped in the past few years, but, Baker said, many women are embarrassed to admit they are reading them.

“If they acknowledge they read the books, they will always follow it up by saying online, in person, wherever, that they know they’re just for fun, that they know it’s not good literature, and that that’s OK,” said Baker.

“I think it’s really interesting for us to consider that this is the only genre that exists that was traditionally written for women and by women, and yet it’s also the only one where it’s readership have internalized this need to seek sort of forgiveness for what they’re reading.”

Even as, she argues, there’s nothing that would suggest a popular romance novel couldn’t also potentially be good literature.

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Dr. Jessica Lazerov, a general pediatrician at Children’s National Hospital, said even if a child has had the flu, she still recommends getting the flu shot after they’ve recovered.

“We’ve seen a lot of influenza A in our region, and I think we’re starting to see some influenza B. And when they develop the flu vaccine, they take into account what strains they are likely to see,” she said. “We’re not always perfect in predicting because nobody has a crystal ball, but getting the flu shot is associated with better outcomes if you do happen to get the flu, and it does help prevent flu transmission.”

To treat a child who has the flu, Lazerov said to reach for honey instead of cough medicine to sooth a sore throat, but keep in mind, she said, that honey is not considered safe for children under 1 year old.

For pain and fever control, she said acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help, as can nasal saline drops. And make sure the child is drinking a lot of fluids.

Lazerov said parents should keep kids out of school while they have a fever, which is anything over 100.4, and for an additional 24 hours after their last fever when they haven’t had fever reducing medication.

“If they have severe symptoms or if they haven’t gotten any better and they’re just miserable, sometimes keeping them home longer than that,” Lazerov said.

While it is always OK to call a doctor, she said parents should trust their judgment.

“High fevers do not necessarily mean a child is very, very sick,” Lazerov said. “I would go by what the child looks like. If your child is playful and is drinking OK, and seems mostly like themselves, but they seem a little bit sick, you may be able to treat these things at home.”

But if their symptoms are concerning, like not keeping any fluids down, difficulty breathing, or something just seems off, Lazerov said definitely call.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Weekly Influenza Surveillance Report, Virginia, Maryland and D.C. all had a .

D.C.’s influenza tracker showed the number of positive cases in the last week of January were 1,268. There were .

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Chip Lupo, a writer and analyst at WalletHub, pointed to Orlando’s proximity to Disney World. Still, D.C. has its attractions, and it came in at “a pretty solid” No. 29 out of 182 U.S. cities.

Aside from the monuments, parks and sporting venues, D.C. for instance, “ranks No. 1 in event planners per capita,” Lupo said. The nation’s capital also ranks high when it comes to limo rentals per capita. Still, it’s the average cost for a party that made D.C. less attractive.

On average, a D.C. wedding costs nearly $44,000, while nationwide, Lupo said that number was roughly $35,000.

In D.C., “The cost of living is very high. It’s a very expensive area,” Lupo said.

If the price tag is overwhelming, Lupo suggested that couples cut costs by doing a lot of the work on their own, like printing invitations themselves.

WalletHub’s ranking of “Best and Places to Get Married” weighed various factors including hotel costs, wedding venues per capita and number of attractions.

Richmond, Virginia, came in at No. 27 and Baltimore was No. 86. Pearl City, Hawaii, was at the bottom of the list at No. 182.

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“Our body uses light to help regulate and control our circadian rhythm,” explained Dr. Keisha Sullivan, a sleep medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente in Prince George’s County, Maryland. “So when it’s darker for longer hours of the day, we’re not getting that signal that it’s time to wake up, we’re kind of still in that sleep mode.”

Sullivan recommends that early risers create an environment at home that mimics natural light, like turning on the lights or buying a sunrise clock. If the sun is rising, open the windows and let the light in.

In general, Sullivan said people should keep a consistent sleep schedule.

“We emphasize that year-round because creating a consistent schedule, going to bed at the same time, waking up at the same time even on weekends also trains your internal clock to anticipate sleep and wake times despite what’s going on outside,” Sullivan said.

She said sticking to a sleep schedule can also help reduce morning grogginess.

For those who go straight from bed to the coffee maker, maybe think of grabbing water first.

“Our body loses about half to one liter per night when we sleep,” because of sweating, Sullivan explained.

She said water increases blood flow, improving energy, which helps on those cold, dark, winter mornings.

“So go ahead, refuel, drink as much water as you can, and that just helps combat dehydration,” Sullivan said.

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The initiative, called 鈥淎 Day Without Immigrants,鈥� is meant to highlight the importance of immigrants to the nation鈥檚 economy and society.

In the D.C. area, several businesses are showing their support by closing for the day, including Republic Cantina in Northwest D.C.

鈥淲e are not a terribly political brand,” owner Chris Svetlik told 草莓传媒. “We’re in the business of hospitality. We don’t really use our megaphone to talk about political issues that much.鈥�

Other D.C.-area restaurants that said they are closing for 鈥淎 Day Without Immigrants” include in Burtonsville, Maryland, and the Maryland.

Republic Cantina urged people to speak out against “anti-immigrant policy.”

鈥淭his is an issue that is quite near and dear to us, and our team, so many people who work on our team 鈥� immigrants, asylum-seekers, refugees 鈥� they are just truly important members of our community,” Svetlik said.

Svetlik is co-owner of Hill East Burger in Southeast which .

鈥淔olks work hard. They pay their taxes; they raise their kids here they go to church,鈥� Svetlik said. 鈥淥ur communities are made a lot stronger with immigrants, and it’s been dismaying to see an increase in anti-immigrant rhetoric.鈥�

Along with a show of support to his team, he said closing was a practical matter.

鈥淚f staff are not there, we can’t open the restaurant,” Svetlik said.

He said he learned of the protest through staff, and after an informal vote, the team decided to close Monday.

鈥淚 think that, that is the point of the protest, is to make that point clearly, that our hospitality industry, and our construction industry and our farming industry, they don’t work without the labor of immigrants,鈥� Svetlik said.

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“I think obviously, traffic’s an issue in this region,” said Clark Mercer, executive director of the an organization of elected leaders in the D.C. area. “We’re back to pre-pandemic levels of traffic, even though we’re at 50% capacity in the offices.”

Mercer said as of now, not enough people are carpooling. But once the tens of thousands of federal workers add into the daily commute, “and realize that time is money and they want to move quicker, they’ll look to get in carpools. They’ll look to get into van pools.”

Public transit, in his view, is the best answer.

“Our transit system is ready to have more riders. We just had an inauguration. We’ve got lots of entertainment events that happen on the weekends. On nights and weekends, Metro is above pre-pandemic (levels). It’s during the weekday where they’ve dipped. And so that capacity is there,” Mercer said.

Metro’s most recent among its rail customers.

According to reporting 草莓传媒’s sister station Federal 草莓传媒 Network, more than 50% of the federal workforce is already working entirely on-site because of the nature of the job.

found many said they are more productive when they are able to telework, and are concerned about a “one size fits all” approach to the return-to-office policy.

Mercer said the region’s local governments have already brought workers back to the office, but have taken a commonsense approach. For instance, in , 听补苍诲 聽office workers are still allowed limited telework days.

“There’s a couple days home and then in the office the rest of the days 鈥� in more than you’re out. But showing grace and having some common sense applied here, I think would be the ultimate goal,” Mercer said.

, which helps local commuters organize carpools and has a program which offers registrants a number of free rides home.

is in D.C., Virginia, Maryland and even as far as parts of West Virginia.

A spokesperson for the Maryland State Highway Administration told 草莓传媒 it “will continue to monitor traffic patterns and respond to incidents as we do all-year round, 24-hours a day.”

Federal 草莓传媒 Network contributed to this report.

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But Consumer Reports is out with a warning that those companies, and others like them, are harvesting sensitive data.

The consumer watchdog recently of 10 fitness companies, including Peloton and NordicTrack, and found that along with user鈥檚 basic data, such as height or age, companies might be collecting information regarding pregnancy status and dietary habits.

In the case of BowFlex, Consumer Reports found its privacy contract allows the company to collect and share olfactory data 鈥� or the user鈥檚 smell. Though, the Consumer Report said it’s unclear if that’s happening; the company didn’t respond to a request to comment.

鈥淭he concern is that medical information would be treated the same as anything else, like shopping habits,鈥� said Steven Blair, the security test program leader for Consumer Reports. 鈥淭he policies are written in a very, very broad way.鈥�

Blair said while user鈥檚 information is generally used for targeted advertisements, it鈥檚 not always clear with whom who the user鈥檚 information is being shared with, and how secure the companies鈥� servers are.

鈥淭o be fair, some brands we looked at do say that they adhere to privacy laws, but that’s the absolute minimum, right? That’s what they’re forced to,鈥� Blair said.

He recommended checking the apps’ privacy settings, so information isn鈥檛 being shared publicly. In some cases, customers aren’t able to delete their collected data on the app, but can reach out directly to the company to do so.

Consumer Reports also has a tool, called the permission slip, that directs companies to delete a user鈥檚 personal data.

Peloton told Consumer Reports it doesn鈥檛 sell its members鈥� information to data brokers, though the company鈥檚 privacy policy said it may use the data it collects for marketing.

A representative from Hydrow, another company Consumer Reports looked at, said the company 鈥渇ully adheres to all applicable data privacy regulations.鈥�

Tonal, which Consumer Reports said stores video of its users, said to the consumer watchdog, 鈥淲e save only those recordings that a customer has decided to save.”

鈥淢embers can review their videos to assess their form and refine their movements,鈥� Tonal said. 鈥淚f desired, they can delete their recordings at any time.鈥�

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In , President聽Biden said the ERA has “cleared all necessary hurdles to be formally added to the Constitution as the 28th Amendment.”

“It is long past time to recognize the will of the American people. In keeping with my oath and duty to Constitution and country, I affirm what I believe and what three-fourths of the states have ratified: the 28th Amendment is the law of the land, guaranteeing all Americans equal rights and protections under the law regardless of their sex,” the statement read, in part.

Christian F. Nunes, president of the National Organization for Women (NOW), said her organization is excited about the prospect of constitutional equal protections.

“We are very excited about this, but the same time, we recognize that this is still a battle,” Nunes told 草莓传媒. “NOW has always been involved in this fight, will continue to be involved in this fight, if that means signing on to different litigation to make sure that women’s rights are protected and published into the Constitution, we will do that as well.”

Biden’s statement, which comes days before he is replaced by Donald Trump, will probably not have any impact. Presidents do not have any role in the amendment process.

The leader of the National Archives had previously said that the amendment cannot be certified because it wasn’t ratified before a deadline set by Congress. The archivist said Congress or the courts must change the deadline to consider the amendment as certified.

On Friday, the National Archives reiterated the position by saying “the underlying legal and procedural issues have not changed.”

“Women need this,” Nunes said. “This is part of the reason why Dobbs took place. This is part of the reason why we’re seeing this battle with abortion bans and women’s bodily autonomy, because there are no guaranteed provisions in the Constitution that protects us. So, we need it to be guaranteed.”

A senior Biden administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the White House’s plans, said Biden was not directing the archivist to certify the amendment, sidestepping what could have become a legal battle over the separation of powers.

The Equal Rights Amendment, which would prohibit discrimination based on gender, was sent to the states for ratification in 1972. Congress set a deadline of 1979 for three-quarters of state legislatures to ratify the amendment, then extended it to 1982.

But it wasn’t until 2020, when Virginia lawmakers passed the amendment, that 38 states had ratified it.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Chuck McDade, a spokesperson for Pepco, told 草莓传媒 that now is the time for customers to prepare.

McDade recommended weatherproofing windows and doors and consider investing in a smart thermostat to manage energy use on the go.

“That thermostat is going to be the biggest culprit that could lead to a higher electric bill after the cold snap,” he said.

During the winter, Pepco recommends setting your thermostat to 68 degrees.

“If your health permits,” McDade added. “If you can, every degree lower than 68 will actually help you save 5% on your energy bill.”

Other ways to save on your energy bill include switching out incandescent light bulbs to LED bulbs and properly maintaining HVAC systems.

“You don’t want to have a dirty filter 鈥� that’ll prevent the air flow from properly maintaining the heat in your home, and that can also lead to the heater running more,” McDade explained.

And let Mother Nature help out. On a sunny day, McDade suggests opening the blinds and letting the sunlight in. But when it gets dark, make sure to close the blinds and curtains to keep drafts out.

For customers struggling with their energy bills, McDade said there are

• Listen to 草莓传媒 online and on the radio at 103.5 FM or 107.7 FM.
• Current traffic conditions
• Weather forecast
• Closings and Delays
• Sign up for 草莓传媒 alerts

Aside from cost-saving tips, the National Weather Service has safety tips to get through the extreme cold.

Erik Taylor, a meteorologist with NWS Baltimore/Washington, recommended having a kit in your car stocked with jumper cables, flashlights, medical supplies, nonperishable food, water, a basic tool kit, a radio, a shovel, ice scraper, clothes and blankets.

“Always keep the cellphone charged because you never know when you’re going to need it,” Taylor said. “And keep a full tank of gas in the car. This is for winter weather as well as cold weather, especially as we get into the heart of the winter season.”

Taylor said beginning next week, with the wind chill factor, temperatures could feel like they are in the teens or single digits.

“Most of the cold air is coming down out of Canada, Alaska and up across portions of Siberia, and that’s where it’ll be coming from over the next probably five to 15 days ahead,” he explained.

He said hats and thick jackets are a must.

“It’s different for everybody, how their body reacts to the cold,” he said. “If you’re outside for a long, extended period of time, whether it’s exercising or working outdoors, have the proper layers on, keep the skin covered up and just be ready, at least, for the colder air mass to set in.”

During the cold stretch, Taylor recommended checking on elderly friends, neighbors and keeping an eye on pets.

“(It’s) always good to be prepared and not scared,” Taylor said.

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DC

If you are 21 and over, Northwest D.C. bar Ivy and Coney is celebrating with what it calls a “Shotnorah” 鈥� you and seven of your closest friends line up and do shots off a 12-foot menorah shotski.

The bar’s annual Hanukkah pop-up “Chai-vy & Cohen-y” also offers crispy golden latkes and boozy jelly doughnut shots.

On New Year’s Eve, which is still Hanukkah, you can toast the new year with Manischewitz. Sales of that sweet, sweet kosher wine will be donated to Bread for the City, according to a .

Union Market in Northeast has through Jan. 2. You’re invited to enjoy the warmth of the season, along with exploring the market’s shops and eateries.

Northern Virginia

Chabad of Alexandria-Arlington invites you to 聽Sunday in Clarendon featuring a 9-foot-tall menorah, hot latkes, doughnuts and traditional chocolate coins (gelt).

On Monday, the .

A community menorah lighting will also be held Monday with traditional songs, entertainment and games of dreidel.

Montgomery County

Sunday at Bethesda Row, you can check out a giant menorah filled with candy and enjoy a magic show at the .

Also Sunday, Chabad of Silver Spring is hosting at Silver Spring Ice Skating. Don’t worry, there will be latkes there too.

Events celebrating Hanukkah continue across the region. The last day of Hanukkah is Jan. 2.

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shows an irate woman behind the counter of the Chipotle location on Rhode Island Avenue NE pushing away several workers, then someone off camera yells: “Just let her make her food.”

The workers appear to back off and the woman begins scooping food out of the metal containers into her bowl.

When one of the workers tries to take the bowl away, she hits him with it and food goes flying.

In a statement to 草莓传媒, Chipotle said:

“At Chipotle, the health and safety of our employees is our greatest priority. We are grateful for their hard work every day and do not condone guests who mistreat our teams and fail to give them the respect they deserve. We have spoken with local law enforcement, and a police report has been filed on the incident involving this guest. We have also provided security on-site at the restaurant to ensure our employees are safe while the investigation continues.” -Laurie Schalow, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Chipotle

A D.C. police spokesperson told 草莓传媒 the woman could face charges of simple assault and theft, and the investigation is ongoing.

In the police report obtained 草莓传媒, the victim told police that on Saturday night, the suspect came behind the counter and started to serve herself, then threw the bowl full of food at him when he tried to grab it and left the restaurant with another full bowl.

Chipotle is also listed as a victim on the report. The amount of stolen property is valued at $40.

WUSA9 the woman in the video told them she was missing items in her Uber Eats order, went to the restaurant to ask for a refund, was refused and the situation escalated. While the woman told WUSA9 she feels bad for how it ended, she said when she tried to make herself food, she was assaulted by a crew member.

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The homicide marks the county’s 100th murder so far in 2024, police said.

It happened near Walker Mill Road and Karen Boulevard around 4:20 p.m., according to a social media post by the Prince George’s County police department.

Officers responding to the scene found a man outside suffering from gunshot wounds in the area.

The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene, police said. A spokesperson for the police department told 草莓传媒 no arrests have been made in the case.

FATAL SHOOTING: Officers responded to the area of Walker Mill Rd and Karen Blvd at approx. 4:20 pm for a shooting. They located an adult male outside suffering from gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

鈥� PGPDNEWS (@PGPD草莓传媒)

Saturday鈥檚 shooting marks the 100th reported murder in the county year to date. According to released Saturday, in 2023, 98 people were murdered. In total, there were 117 murders and non-negligent manslaughter deaths in 2023.

In neighboring D.C., the U.S. Attorney鈥檚 Office said last week that the homicide rate year to date in the District fell 30%. The number of people murdered in 2023 was 265. In 2024, that number was 185.

A map of the location of the shooting on Saturday is below:

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The “brushing scam” begins when a person receives an unexpected package in the mail disguised as a gift, said Ashley Savage, a spokesperson for the Arlington County Police Department.

“It doesn’t have identifying information on it, so when they open it up, there’s a QR code inside, and the individual is encouraged to scan that QR code to find out who sent the package,” Savage said. “Ultimately, it’s a phishing type scam where they’re going to be redirected to a website that’s designed to steal your information.”

While there haven’t been reports of brushing scam incidents in Arlington County, according to Savage, there have been reports elsewhere including in Colorado, Maine and Ohio.

“As a result of that, we just did an update to our overall scams alert to remind individuals of common scams that we’re seeing and also this emerging scam that we’re seeing in other areas of the country,” she said.

this holiday season, and watch out for unsolicited texts, emails, calls or packages.

If a call makes you uncomfortable, hang up. Don’t give personal information to someone you don’t know, police advised.

Avoid paying for anything in usual ways, including with Bitcoin or gift cards, check your financial records regularly and report any irregularities to your financial institution and local law enforcement, according to the police department.

Savage asked anyone who has been targeted by a scammer to report it so law enforcement can track incidents and send out community alerts.

“Many scams end up originating from overseas,” Savage said, adding it limits what law enforcement can do. “But that’s why educational campaigns like this are so important so that we’re putting the information in our community’s hands and 鈥� that they’re able to avoid and spot these types of scams.”

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As journalists, we don鈥檛 usually make ourselves the feature of a story, but today, 草莓传媒 is shining a spotlight on one of our colleagues, Neal Augenstein, who has been selected as one of Washingtonian Magazine鈥檚 鈥淲ashingtonians of the Year.鈥�

Augenstein, and nine other locals, for making the region a better place.

鈥淚 take the responsibility of being a reporter for 草莓传媒 pretty seriously,鈥� Augenstein said. 鈥淚’m indebted to the people who鈥檝e sort of gone along for the ride and have been willing to trust me after all of these years.鈥�

Augenstein, with his distinctive accent and booming voice, has been a fixture on 草莓传媒’s airwaves for nearly 30 years. A general assignment reporter, he鈥檚 covered hard-hitting stories across the D.C. region and has won journalism awards for his work.

But, his path to your airwaves wasn鈥檛 always assured.

鈥淚 spent the first 10 years of my radio career being told, ‘You’re a good journalist, but you don’t belong on the air,’鈥� he said.

Augenstein said once he got to 草莓传媒, the station had him work with a voice coach to tame his New York accent (he was raised in Connecticut, but his parents are from the Bronx).

草莓传媒/Michelle Goldstein

Courtesy Joel Gwadz

草莓传媒/Neal Augenstein

草莓传媒/Neal Augenstein

草莓传媒/Neal Augenstein

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鈥淭here are still some words that I can’t say,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he word ‘coleslaw’ requires me to say ‘L’ and then ‘S’ right after that.”

You might be surprised to hear that he also struggles with his signature sign off: 鈥�’Neal Augenstein, 草莓传媒 草莓传媒.’ 鈥� I bite my tongue every fifth time that I say that, because ‘W’ is a really hard thing for me to say,鈥� he said.

Augenstein said that in recent years, getting through a lung cancer diagnosis has only deepened his connection to the audience.

鈥淲hen I was diagnosed with cancer, I decided that I would share my story. What I didn’t realize was that by sharing my story, I heard back from so many people, and they shared their stories of survival and people that they know and love who’ve been having cancer treatment for years and are doing well. I was getting strength from their stories,鈥� he said.

Augenstein鈥檚 cancer has been at NED (No Evidence of Disease) status since 2023.

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The public artwork in Downtown D.C., funded by the D.C. Mayor’s office and dubbed the “National Mistletoe” is a 10-foot, steel sphere, covered in plastic greenery and flowers, decorated with ribbons and a jingle bell and suspended 30 feet in the air.

D.C.-based said it took a month to design and install, and involved calling in a structural engineer.

“My style of art is abstract,” she said.

While a traditional holiday mistletoe is a small bunch of sprigs with white flowers on the end, Ly said: “I took that and then I wanted something classic, something beautiful, something that’s easily recognizable. So, I made a giant mistletoe ball.”

The project is funded by a grant from program.

“We knew the Holiday Market was already really successful and a big draw, and so we wanted to make this year bigger and better,” said Nina Albert, D.C.’s deputy mayor for Planning and Economic Development.

Ly said she’s seen people walk by, kiss and keep on walking. Next year, she wants the project to break the Guinness World record for most couples kissing under a mistletoe.

“Get together, get your partner ready,” she said.

If you don’t have a partner, the Downtown BID, along with TechWorld Owner’s Association, is holding a, the site of the installation, this Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. There will be live music, hot drinks, cocktails, Adirondack chairs and cozy fire pits.

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