The Pringle Plan: July 2019

The new hardwood floors look great!

A recent bad experience with a flooring installer had me growling and as a blogger I was tempted to write all about that nightmare. However, this blog has always been intended to focus on the positive. So, instead of publicly blasting away with detailed photos and documentation, I did that privately - handwritten venting of both the big and small and then tearing it all up. Of course I vented in some family emails too - hey I'm not perfect, but when I calmed down I realized two things. 1.) In the end, the floors look great and I never need to deal with that installer again. And 2.) How grateful I am for all the wonderful trades people it has been my pleasure to do business with over the years. With professionalism, skill, patience, and politeness, they have helped me maintain my home, garden, and cars over the years. I'm dedicating this post to the following local businesses who have earned my respect and I highly recommend:

Auto Maintenance & Wash

Uncasville Quick Lube

4 Fort Shantok Rd
Uncasville, CT 06382

https://www.uncasvillequicklube.com/

(860) 848-0672

Just pull in - no need for an appointment. Fast, reasonably priced, and always pleasant. We use them once or twice a year to change oil, check fluids, filters, tires, and wipers. Finish off with their hands-free car wash!

Auto Repair & Emissions Testing

Pennell's Auto Center

341 Norwich New London Turnpike
Uncasville, CT 06382

860-848-2400

https://www.pennellsautocenter.com/

Need more than general maintenance? Go to Pennell's. Reliable, fair, and will let you know if the repair is really worth the investment based on the age, make and miles of your car.

Electricians

E Brian's Electric Inc
P O Box 156, Quaker Hill, CT 06375
(860) 442-0585

https://www.ebrianselectric.com/

Always friendly and always do a great job in a timely fashion. One time they even did a job for free, just because it was a small job! I will continue to call them for any electrical needs in my new place as well.

Gutter Cleaning

Dan's Gutter Cleaning Service

Groton, Connecticut

(860)-389-6329

www.DansGutterCleaningService.com

A Veteran owned and operated company that aims to please. These guys always keep their appointments and have come over in all kinds of weather. They do a thorough job and always checked in before leaving to see if I wanted to walk around the house with them to check their work - but their was never any need. I trust them to do a great job.

Heating and Cooling

The Heat People

2239 Norwich New London Turnpike, Uncasville, CT 06382
(860) 848-4121
https://theheatpeople.com/

I just did business with The Heat People for the first time a few weeks ago when a certain installer knocked the thermostat off the wall leaving us with no air conditioning in the midst of a heat wave. The office manager was wonderfully understanding of my husband's health issues and scheduled a technician to arrive in under two hours. The technician was wonderfully pleasant, patient, and efficient. They have my business for heating and cooling from now on.

Landscaping and Snow Plowing

Burnett's Landscaping

406 New London Road
Salem, CT 06420

1 860 859 3100

http://burnettslandscaping.com/

Burnett's spread gravel pathways for us, treated our lawn with a combination of grub killer and organic fertilizers, and reliably plowed snow from our driveway and in front of our mailbox, according to the contract, often before I'd woken up! I use to call them "my snow elves."

Pest Control

Griggs & Browne

152 Cross Rd.

Waterford, CT 06385

800-962-3296

https://griggsbrowne.com/services/

Over the years we've used this company for both ant and carpenter bee problems. They get the job done and make sure you and your neighbors are aware pesticides were sprayed by posting small notices in your lawn. An important step in keeping both children and pets safe.

Plumber
Tomaszek & Sons Plumbing
19 Lamphere Road
Waterford, CT 06385-3446
(860) 443-7565 (Voice)
http://tomaszekplumbing.com
We started calling Tomaszek's when we lived right down the road from them. Plumbing is not something either my husband or myself like to do ourselves. I've always said, "When you find a good plumber never lose their number, and be willing to pay whatever they charge - they're worth it!" Tomaszek's work fits the bill!

PowerWashing

Doug's Powerwash

18 Hopkins Dr, Niantic, CT 06357

860-739-9630 or
(860) 608-8143(call or text)

email at: dougspowerwashing@sbcglobal.net

http://www.dougspowerwashing.com/

Doug power washed our home for more than a decade. I loved coming home to see sparkling clean siding. He always went above and beyond by doing walkways, driveway, shed and deck in addition to the siding. All I had to do was write a check while he pleasantly chatted away with my husband. We always got hugs before he left!

Steam Cleaning

Griggs & Browne

Providence, RI

1-800-924-8886

https://www.gbcarpetcleaning.com/

In southeastern CT, Griggs & Browne is better known for taking care of your ant and termite problems, but the branch out of Rhode Island also provides steam cleaning services in CT. We used them for upholstery cleaning and were always happy with their timeliness, cleanliness, professionalism, and pleasant & personable personalities.

Tree Removal

Tomorrow's Trees

467 Chesterfield Rd, Oakdale, CT 06370

http://www.tomorrowstrees.com/

This is definitely not your chainsaw wielding best buddy. These guys are true professionals who come with all the proper equipment, licenses and insurance. They will not only remove your dead trees, but clean up any other mess they notice. No one stands around idly!

Windows

Renewal By Anderson

https://www.renewalbyandersen.com/

The best way to contact this business is with one of their many flyers in hand. Windows are expensive so get as many deals as you can. Let your sales person know you saw an add on tv, in the newspaper, received a coupon in the mail, and have a discount from someone who came and knocked on your door. They will give you as many discounts as they can and you will get discounts for being a repeat costumer. Sit through the sales pitch and discover how much heat and cool you gain and lose with your old windows compared to their new windows. Then be impressed when they remove, install, and clean up after themselves!!!

I'm so grateful for all these wonderful businesses and trades people who have made my life a little easier by taking the stress out of stressful situations. Have a great day!

See books by Laura S. Pringle on Amazon

The Pringle Plan is a series of educational guides.

Our new view! (That's not a UFO - It's just a light reflecting in the window! LOL!)

Waking up in our condo is a whole new experience. No more joy in seeing which flowers are in bloom, but also no concerns about lawn and gardening chores. Instead we have a view of the Mohegan Sun and beautiful clouds rolling by.

Here's a wider look. The Mohegan Sun reflects the sky, tree tops and river surrounding it, almost blending in with the scenery. A modern sculpture in nature's garden.

Thursday was busy. Packed my car. Went to a pre-closing at my attorney's office, continued cleaning, disconnected and packed the computer and phones, and then to meet my wonderful realtor, Mary Poola, for the final walk through at the condo. I got to meet the sellers, Beth and Rich, who gave me the tour of all the important things: how to change the furnace filter, how to clean the auxiliary vent on the dryer, where the garbage chute, dumpster, and recycling room are located, and where to find the bumper pads for the elevator on move-in day. They also generously allowed me to unload my car and move things into one empty bedroom pre-closing!

Boxes were everywhere!

Friday was exhausting. Up at 5:00 a.m. Disconnected the TV and packed both cars. Movers arrived about 8:30 and completed the job about 8:00 p.m. Three heroic young men from Sterling Moving and Storage (Bozrah, CT) moved some very large, heavy pieces of furniture into a tight elevator in hot humid weather. Gary stayed at the house to keep our cat, Autumn, company. Through it all my friend Donna helped open the door for the movers downstairs while I directed the move upstairs. More importantly, she calmed me down whenever I felt stressed. New neighbors Andy, Rick, and Steve helped with providing the elevator key, and unloading the two cars. I'm so grateful for all the help I received.

Donna, Gary and I had great fun going to all the windows at various times of day to check out the views. This one is from the living room slider.

From the other living room window.

Saturday morning I slept late, then off to do a final cleaning at the house and pack the car one more time. With a stop at Home Depot and Stop and Shop it was time to return to my new home and check on Gary and Autumn. Everyone thought it was Gary I was most concerned about in this move, but it was really Autumn that worried me most. She doesn't travel well and likes everything the way she has it arranged. My Vet recommended using a product called Feliway. It's a pheromone product that calms pets. A few weeks before the move I plugged in two diffusers, and used wipes on her carrier. I continued wiping down the carrier every few days. The result? She pooped and drooled in her carrier during the car ride, but compared to her usual drooling to dehydration during trips to the vet, this was a breeze! I'll use Feliway again on future vet trips.