#summer curb appeal

[oldfarmhouse]

🎇sunset — 𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒆𝒓'𝒔 𝒆𝒏𝒅

https://www.instagram.com.countryhomemagazine

#summers end #the lake house #curb appeal

[scoutingthetrooper]

#home #home exterior #curb appeal #house #nature #trees #green #path #stone #garden #flowers #summer #brick house

[secondsofpleasure]

rittenhouse / 6.2022

#philadelphia #philly #rittenhouse #evenings #summer #scenes #trees #houses #curb appeal #messing around with hipstamatic

[jeanricher]

Putting a few pieces of outdoor furniture on your porch is a simple way to update your curb appeal! This will make your home look welcoming and well put together to potential buyers.

#curb appeal #homes for sale #summer market #ottawa real estate #summer home #patio furniture #porch #outdoor living

[nativeamericanconfessions]

Exterior Vinyl in Providence Idea for a sizable transitional gray, three-story vinyl exterior home

#retractable screen #patio doors #summer design #outdoor dining #curb appeal #patio design #exterior

[rogerlilyrp]

Landscape - French Country Landscape

#Design suggestions for a sizable stone flower bed in the summer front yard of a French country home. garden #landscape architects and landscape designers #patio #planting #bluestone patio #front entrance #curb appeal

[silly-drawings-by-sugar]

Natural Stone Pavers - Traditional Landscape

#Design concepts for a sizable #traditional front yard with stone landscaping in the summer. landscape lighting #mixing hardscapes #garden design with hydrangeas #landscaping stones & pavers #curb appeal #hydrangeas in a formal setting #front steps

[bookman-dgm]

Toronto Front Yard

#Photo of a formal stone front yard in full sun taken in the summer. japanese maple #pillar #maple #curb appeal #wall #ledgerock

[vampiricallyxspeaking]

Contemporary Landscape in Toronto

#Inspiration for a large contemporary partial sun front yard stone landscaping in summer. formal #curb appeal #hedge #groundcover #frontyard #natural stone pavers

[facexclaimxcafe]

Mulch in San Francisco

#An expansive front yard mulch garden path in the summer can be seen here in the southwest. brick edging #native landscaping #outdoor planter #trees #curb appeal #mulch #arched door

[fishervk]

Natural Stone Pavers Front Yard in Toronto

#Design suggestions for a mid-sized #contemporary front yard with stone landscaping in the summer sun. front landscaping #garden #interlock #front yard #hoopsii blue spruce #curb appeal

[oldfarmhouse]

https://www.instagram.com.countrylivingmag

#the summer house #curbed appeal

[obxone]

Marmoris (Chapter Four)

Edited-ish. ~1.5k words

Master Page

Kiara’s gaze catches yours after you both step outside into the parking lot. Another afternoon shift is complete, which gives you the early evening hours free to do as you please. The urge to go home, slip into comfy sweats, and pick a good romcom feels like the right thing to do.

“Where are you headed?” She asks.

“Home.”

She tips her head to the side, confusion on her face. “Not the beach party?”

“God no,” you huff with a shake of your head. The thought of spending the evening and into the night with all the kooks, while they get drunk and try to hit on one another, is not as appealing as it used to be. Besides, you were avoiding a certain kook. You fidget with your nails as you hide your face from Kiara’s view. The embarrassment of the schoolboy crush he has for you flaming your face. “Kelce has a crush, and as much as the kook population would love it, I’m not interested, so I’m steering clear until he gets over it.”

She cracks a smile at that. “Why not tell Kelce you aren’t interested?”

“I have.”

“Ah.”

“Yep,” you pop the p as you step off the curb next to your car. “Guess the dead boyfriend grace period is up in his mind.” You deadpan, and her lips part in surprise for a moment.

“I didn’t even realize.”

You shrug before redirecting the conversation. “What about you?”

“I think I might go surfing.”

You smile, she loved surfing.

“Want to come?”

“Kie,” you start as you lean against your car. “I don’t surf. I have no clue how to surf other than a few failed attempts when Kasey and I first started dating, and he insisted on teaching me.”

“I can teach you.” She shrugs. “And that way I’m not alone.”

“Where are the Pogues?”

“I don’t know.”

You smile at her. Being friends again felt nice, and her asking to spend time with you felt even better. “Okay but promise this does not get back to my dad. He’d freak out.”

She frowns then, her dark gaze flickering to your temple. The end of your scar is visible, and you try to be subtle as you reach up to cover the marred skin.

“No one, but us will know.”

“All right,” you grin. “Meet at the beach in thirty? I need to change and make sure they aren’t going to be looking for me.”

“Yep!” She grins. “You’ll need a board, right?”

“Please!” You call, and she gives you a thumbs-up before you split to go your separate ways.

After trading your work clothes for a bikini and checking that no one is looking for you, you head for the favored surfing spot. The drive is short, music filling the car, and the summer air filtering in through the open windows and sunroof. The late afternoon sun feels good against your skin, and you cannot help but truly smile for the first time in what feels like ages.

The trill of phone ringing has you fishing it out of your bag and answering it after seeing Sarah’s name on the screen.

“Hello?”

“Where are you?”

“Driving to the beach to meet Kiara.”

She is quiet for a moment. “Did you guys make up or something?”

“Something,” you respond. You will respect their differences and allow them to make up on their own if that is what they want. “Where are you?”

“At the party. Are you not coming?”

“I said I wasn’t.”

You can tell she is frowning without even needing to be there.

“I haven’t seen you in days.”

“Not my fault, Sis.”

She huffs, and you can picture her pacing away from the party. The faint thrum of music tells you it is already a steady crowd of kooks and maybe some tourists.

“Did you guys go out to Mase?”

“No, we stayed closer to home this time. Which is why you should come!”

“I’m not coming, Sarah,” you sigh, turning onto the road that led to the parking lot of the beach spot. “I’m going… surfing.”

“You’re joking.”

“Nope.” You keep your voice neutral in hopes she will not overreact and potentially spill the secret.

“You are the weirdest sibling ever.”

“You know you love me.” You quip back, and she laughs, which makes you smile. “This stays a secret, promise? Dad would flip if he found out.”

“Promise. I’m not telling. I think it’s great. You need to live again.”

“Thanks, Sarah.” You cannot help but smile now. “See you tonight at home?”

“Sure. Have fun!”

“You too!” You end the call as you turn into the lot. A wider smile spreads across your face. It is going to be a great day.

Kiara is waiting for you in the parking lot. Her long legs swing back and forth as she sits in the back of the Xterra. She smiles as soon as she spots you pulling in. A wave is directed your way before she hops down and starts to pull the straps from the boards secured to the roof of the truck.

“Wait for me,” you whine once you are out of the car and jogging over. “It’s the least I can do.”

You reach for the end of the board as she climbs up higher to get a better hold while you help her lower it. You grab the other one next before she locks the truck, and you both grasp the board.

You smile, relishing the moment of being friends again. “Kiara…”

“Yeah?” She sticks her board in the sand before peeling her tank top off.

“Thanks for being my friend again.”

She smiles, but you do not miss the haunted look behind that smile. “I’m glad we talked. I blamed you for too much of what happened when you were trying to recover and piece yourself back together.”

You smile weakly, Kasey’s face flashing through your mind.

“How has that been?” She asks, her voice softer while she pauses removing her shorts to stare at you. “It’s been just over a year.”

“Thirteen months.” You smile sadly. “It was extremely difficult at first. I almost did not want to be here anymore because of it. I struggled with why I lived, and he didn’t.”

She frowns but lets you continue to talk through the thoughts filling your head.

“The ache never goes away, not really, you just learn to live with it.” You offer, meeting her gaze and trying to fight the burn of tears at the same time. “I miss him. I miss him every day. But I know he would not want me to be in this cage. He’d be so angry if he knew how much I was being shielded.”

“Do you want to be shielded?”

“No,” you whisper. “I want to be free again, but I’m scared at the same time. Getting the job at The Wreck is my first step.”

“This will be your second,” she offers.

“It will be,” you agree. “But I’m so scared. I’m scared to get hurt again.”

Kiara crosses the small distance between you and pulls you into her arms. You hug her back, only realizing the tears have broken free when you see the wet mark they have left on her shoulder.

“Shit, I’m sorry,” you whisper, taking a step back, and wiping at your eyes.

“Hey, no, it’s okay,” she coos as she rubs your shoulder. “Friends are meant to be a shoulder to cry on.”

You smile weakly, drying the last of your tears. “I'm sure the pogues love the idea of you making friends with a kook again."

She laughs, but rolls her shoulders. "They don't care."

You giving her a disbelieving look.

"Okay," she looks away, lips pressing together in a tight line for a moment. "JJ cares."

"Not surprising. I'm sure he told you that we had a run in and it was not pleasant."

"He did."

You frown, looking at your feet. "I was not kind."

"He was not either from what I heard."

A sad smile tugs are your lips. "I just wish he'd realize some of us do not care about this stupid classist bullshit."

"He will eventually."

"Fingers crossed," you mutter, not believe for a second that he would. "We should surf. Being in the ocean fixes everything.”

She grins and nods in agreement before you finish removing your clothes. Once you are down to your favorite green bikini, you grab your board and follow her to the water. You both paddle out, bright smiles on your faces now as the cold water laps at your legs while you straddle your boards.

“How far have your lessons gone?”

“I stood up once but fell after a few seconds.”

She giggles, and you roll your eyes dramatically, making her laugh.

“Alright, I’ll catch one, you watch me, and then you can try, and I’ll see what we are working with.” “Sounds good to me.”

(Chapter Five)

#outer banks #obx #jj maybank #jj maybank x reader #jj maybank x you #obx jj maybank #jj maybank x kook!reader #jj maybank obx #outer banks jj maybank #jj maybank x y/n

[bettyfrommars]

are you still writing that delicious fic about biker steve and the new girl at the bar?

oh yesss baby, I'm so glad you asked.

I might not finish it until I'm done with I'm on Fire, but here is a little something to tide you over. I'm not sure what I'm calling the fic yet, but it will be nice and long and juicy. This blurb won't be in the fic exactly like this, but I felt I needed to add some backstory. wc: 950

biker!steve x fem!reader

18+ONLY for mature themes, thoughts of smut, and mutual yearning

from the I'm on Fire au

Steve had been getting his hair cut by Rudy, the barber in Old Town, for over a decade, and he looked forward to his time in the chair, especially now that it was fall and things were finally settling down from the insanity of that particular summer.

It’d been 2 months, 5 days and 11 hours since he first laid eyes on you at The Velvet Hammer---the bar where you both worked.  He remembered checking the clock and thinking: this moment is important. He didn’t know how, and he didn’t know when, but he would have you.  He’d know your taste; he’d decipher every whine and whimper until no words were necessary.  He wanted to share the kind of passion with you that blossomed into blind, stark raving mad obsession.  He wanted to do and say things he’d regret, to embark on a mutual fixation that was borderline embarrassing.  

But you wanted nothing to do with him.  

You’d made it clear that “friendly co-workers” was all it would ever be.  You’d heard the rumors about his reputation as the local lothario and were familiar with the motorcycle club he belonged to that further accelerated his bad boy appeal.  Sure, you caught yourself thinking about him when you weren’t at work, secretly hoping that your schedules would sync up over the weekend so that you could indulge in that feisty banter the two of you excelled at. All flirting aside, one thing was for certain: getting intimately involved with a guy like Steve Harrington would not be good for your heart.

A very nice guy named Sean asked you out on a coffee date a few days ago, and you had accepted.  He had a stable job, he liked animals, and he didn’t look anything like the heavily tattooed biker with the thick mop of slicked back hair that you couldn’t stop fucking thinking about.  

The meetup went fine, the conversation dry but respectful, and you might’ve dozed off once while he was in a particularly long monologue about a trip he took with his ex before they broke up.  The guy was a snoozefest, honestly, and the corners of your mouth jerked in a quick smile when you thought about the faces Steve would make if he were there.  

Steve stepped out onto the sidewalk from the barbers in his scuffed boots and cupped his hand in front of his face to light a smoke, scowling down at the lighter that he had to flick more than once.  He’d asked Rudy to go a little shorter on the sides this time, and there were two lines shaved in above his right ear.  He ran his thick fingers through his freshly styled locks, tee shirt sleeve straining tight around his muscles, and took a long drag, hollowing out his cheeks.

He looked up to put his wayfarer sunglasses on, and there you were--- coming out of the coffee shop with some…dude.  

The sight made him pause his sunglasses in mid air before slowly sliding them on the rest of the way. He stepped off the curb to straddle his 1993 Harley-Davidson Wide Glide, never taking his eyes off of you.

Sean had you locked in conversation again.  Not so much conversation, but his very one-sided opinion on something that left no room for your input, and you didn’t look over until you heard the bike rumble to life.

You couldn’t help it, you smiled so wide when you saw him that your teeth showed, and your eyes lit up in a way that Sean could never earn from you.  You tried to stifle your reaction by lowering your gaze to the sidewalk, letting the sound of the chrome beast drown out the voice of your monotone coffee date.  

Sean stepped closer, took his hand out of the pocket of his khakis to touch your arm, and the movement was met with a few snarling revs of the bike.

Steve was glaring at you now from behind his dark lenses, cigarette hanging loose between full lips, the knuckles of his tattooed fingers almost white from his tight grip on the handlebars.  

He’d heard you mention to one of the other servers that you had a date, but he didn’t know he’d have to actually see it.  The jealousy that flared in him was unreasonable, considering he had no claim on you, but goddamn—in his mind, you were his.  He’d been loyal to the thought of you in a way he couldn’t understand, and a month-long celibacy streak for him was something he hadn’t suffered since he was a teen.  

You moved away from the guy, letting him know with your body language that you weren’t interested.  

“Can I see you again?” Sean asked, eliciting a few more aggressive revs of the bike.

This time, it made Sean glance over with a frown, and Steve stared right back, taking the opportunity to rev the bike one more time before tossing his smoke to the pavement and grinding it with the toe of his boot.  

“Do you know him?” Sean asked, turning to you.

Your gaze flicked between them, and then landed on Steve, and he gave you a two-finger wave, his expression a mask of intense disinterest.  “Yeah, we, um, we work together.”

You told Sean you’d call him, but you never would, and when he offered to walk you around the block to your car, you declined.  

You made a point not to look behind you as you heard Steve’s engine grumbling along in your shadow, keeping pace. Once you got to your driver’s side door and popped the lock, you looked up, expecting Steve to stop and say something, but he cruised on, pausing at the stop sign without even a nod or acknowledgement of your presence, and then sped off into the distance.  

#biker!steve #I'm on Fire #biker Steve Harrington #Steve Harrington fic

[jeanricher]

Create a show-stopping impression for buyers as they visit your home with incredible curb appeal!

#curb appeal #summer #home buyer #home selling tips #ottawahomes #liveloveottawa #landscaping

[odinsblog]

ROME — What a difference a few months can make.

Ahead of Italy’s election last fall, Giorgia Meloni was widely depicted as a menace. By this summer, everything — her youthful admiration for Benito Mussolini, her party’s links to neofascists, her often extreme rhetoric — had been forgiven. Praised for her practicality and support for Ukraine, Ms. Meloni has established herself as a reliable Western partner, central to Group of 7 meetings and NATO summits alike. A visit to Washington, which takes place on Thursday, seals her status as a valued member of the international community.

But the comforting tale of a populist firebrand turned pragmatist overlooks something important: what’s been happening in Italy. Ms. Meloni’s administration has spent its first months accusing minorities of undermining the triad of God, nation and family, with dire practical consequences for migrants, nongovernmental organizations and same-sex parents. Efforts to weaken anti-torture legislation, stack the public broadcaster with loyalists and rewrite Italy’s postwar constitution to increase executive power are similarly troubling. Ms. Meloni’s government isn’t just nativist but has a harsh authoritarian streak, too.

For Italy, this is bad enough. But much of its significance lies beyond its borders, showing how the far right can break down historic barriers with the center right. Allies of Ms. Meloni are already in power in Poland, also newly legitimized by their support for Ukraine. In Sweden, a center-right coalition relies on the nativist Sweden Democrats’ support to govern. In Finland, the anti-immigrant Finns Party went one better and joined the government. Though these parties, like many of their European counterparts, once rejected membership in NATO and the European Union, today they seek a place in the main Euro-Atlantic institutions, transforming them from within. In this project, Ms. Meloni is leading the way.

Since becoming prime minister, Ms. Meloni has certainly moderated her language. In official settings, she’s at pains to appear considered and cautious — an act aided by her preference for televised addresses rather than questioning by journalists. Yet she can also rely on colleagues in her Brothers of Italy party to be less restrained. Taking aim at one of the government’s main targets, L.G.B.T.Q. parents, party leaders have called surrogate parenting a “crime worse than pedophilia,” claiming that gay people are “passing off” foreign kids as their own. Ms. Meloni can appear aloof from such rhetoric, even suggesting unhappiness with its extremism. But her decisions in office reflect zealotry, not caution. The government extended a ban on surrogacy to criminalize adoptions in other countries and ordered municipalities to stop registering same-sex parents, leaving children in legal limbo.

It’s a similar story with immigration. The agriculture minister, a longtime ally of Ms. Meloni’s who is also her brother-in-law, has taken the lead in appealing for resistance to “ethnic replacement.” Hardly averse to the slogan — she used it to successfully oppose a 2017 bill that would have granted citizenship to children born in Italy to noncitizen parents — Ms. Meloni has avoided employing the phrase herself since taking office. But her call for “births, not migrants” expresses the same sentiment, and aggressive opposition to migration has been the centerpiece of her administration. A law passed in April forces asylum seekers to live in state-run migrant centers while their claims are considered — a process that can last up to two years — all without legal advice or Italian-language classes. In recent weeks, Ms. Meloni spearheaded a European Union deal with Tunisia, whose authoritarian regime promotes the great replacement conspiracy theory, to curb migration in exchange for financial support.

(continue reading)

#politics #giorgia meloni #italy #lgbt #fascism #authoritarianism #homophobia #xenophobia #transphobia #lgbtq #neofascism