Reid & Pederson Drainage - February 2020

Water Words

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FEB 2020

LIVING WITH INTEGRITY AND HONESTY This February is a month when sweethearts enjoy their time

the shop down if he realized he had accidentally shortchanged a customer just so he could deliver the correct amount to that person — no matter how far he had to walk. His honesty and integrity toward people set him apart from those around him and earned him the nickname “Honest Abe.” It’s this same integrity and honesty that we at Reid & Pederson Drainage strive for every day. Experiencing a problem with your sewer or drains can be incredibly stressful. It is our No. 1 goal to not only solve your problem but to also

provide excellent customer service from the time your appointment is booked to the moment our technician leaves your home. Keeping our customers happy is our priority. We know what it can be like working with a company that is mainly focused on acquiring as much wealth as possible; we’ve all had to deal with at least one company with this mindset. Those experiences inspire us to do whatever we can to push back against that stigma, and one way we do that is through offering upfront pricing for our services. When you call us for service, we quote you an exact price that is exactly what you’ll pay once our technician completes the job. And if our technician discovers an issue while on the job that requires the price to change, they will not proceed without your approval. Some companies try to upsell customers on services they don’t need, but we will never tell you that you need something done that isn’t necessary. Just as Lincoln was tireless in his pursuit of honesty, we, too, are tireless. We continue living by his ideals to this day, and like the young store clerk, we will walk miles to ensure our customers are always taken care of. –John Reid

together, people born on leap day celebrate their first birthday in four years, and the U.S. remembers one of the best-known presidents in history. Feb. 12 marks President Abraham Lincoln’s 211th birthday. Lincoln was incredibly well respected by the people around him, and he impacted thousands of lives. His priority was to ensure fair and honest dealings in all his work. During the time he worked as a sales clerk, he was known to close

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With all the content available in the world of family entertainment, it’s hard to determine what’s appropriate for children, and it depends heavily on age. In this blurry landscape, it may seem as though no one has the right answers. Luckily, there are online resources available to parents who want to get educated about what is okay for their children to see. DOVE.ORG This website’s sole focus is to define the appropriate age for individuals to consume certain media. Their reviews do more than just declare a show or movie to be appropriate for all ages. They actually place films, TV programs, and books into three different categories based on their intended audiences. All the entertainment they review earn one of the following three ratings: Dove Approved All Ages, Dove Approved 12+, and Dove Approved 18+. KIDS-IN-MIND.COM Kids-In-Mind.com reviews all the latest blockbuster movies and breaks down exactly why they have G, PG-13, and R ratings. This website is a great tool to judge content for kids who are in between rating groups. The reviewers claim, “Unlike the MPAA, we do not assign a single, age-specific rating, and we do not make recommendations. Instead we assign each film three distinct, category-specific ratings: one for sex and nudity, one for violence and gore, and one for language. Each rating is on a scale of 0-10, depending on quantity and context.” COMMONSENSEMEDIA.ORG CommonSenseMedia.org has you covered on all bases relating to content your kids want to consume. They review all the movies and TV shows available, but they also review books, apps, and games. They also provide age and genre filters so you can easily determine if the next Xbox game your child wants is appropriate. In addition, CommonSenseMedia.org understands that social media sites and interactive games like Fortnite are also areas for concern for most parents. To address these concerns, the website offers guides that walk you through child- appropriate use of leading social media and 3 REV I EW S I TES TO HELP YOU MONI TOR WHAT YOUR K I DS ARE WATCHING WHAT’S ON TV?

When Keaton VanKerken relaxes after a hard day’s work, he’s usually outdoors. His enthusiasm for camping and fishing is rivaled only by his zeal for providing quality service to our customers. KEATON VANKERKEN AN ENTHUS I AST I C TECHNI C I AN For the past four years, Keaton has worked side by side with our team to bring relief and joy to every customer he has the opportunity to help. As John and Kevin Reid’s nephew, Keaton knows what Reid & Pederson aims to do for customers and what his uncles do for the community. Keaton was inspired by the effort and care they give customers and decided that he, too, wanted to make an impact. Since joining the Reid & Pederson team, Keaton has enjoyed every minute of it. “Working with everyone here is amazing,” Keaton says. “Everyone works together as a cohesive group, and everyone supports one another. Kevin and John are always supportive, fair, and helpful to everyone here. It’s a great place to work, and I’m proud to be a part of the team.” As part of our profession, our technicians have the opportunity to meet our customers face to face on a daily basis. Our team’s days revolve around solving our customer’s problems, which is something Keaton really enjoys. “Building and maintaining relationships with customers is one of the best parts about what I do,” he says. “I really enjoy solving their problems and interacting with them day to day.” Having hardworking and caring individuals, such as Keaton, as part of our team reflects how much every team member at Reid & Pederson feels about our work and the community we have the privilege to serve.

entertainment platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Snapchat. These guides

define what each platform is, how it works, and what you can do to make sure your kids stay safe while using them. Deciding what is or isn’t appropriate for your kids isn’t easy, so be sure to use these resources to monitor the entertainment your kids are consuming.

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RUNNING TOILETS, STANDING WATER, AND BAD SMELLS — OH MY!

3. GET TO KNOW THE TECHNICIANS. What information is available online about the service technicians at the company? Are they background checked? Do reviews say that they are professional? Many

It’s happening.

You hear gurgling in the toilet, your bathtub is taking a little too long to fully drain, and you start smelling something funny throughout your home. Nobody wants to deal with a dreaded sewer backup. However, if you’re experiencing one, it’s important to know what to look for when searching for a reputable sewer cleaning company. Whether you need a sewer cleaning or another home service, the tips below will help you in your decision to hire the best company to get the job done. 1. DO YOUR RESEARCH. We can’t stress this enough. Most home service companies are digital, meaning they have a website and online presence. Take a look at websites and search potential companies on a search engine like Google. You’ll learn more about the company and the services they offer; plus, you may come across a coupon or special offer too! 2. CHECK OUT ONLINE REVIEWS. Does a company have lots of positive reviews? Are customers generally happy with the service and recommending the company to others? Does the company take time to respond to both positive and negative reviews? Some great places to check reviews are Google, Facebook, and the Better Business Bureau.

companies send you a photo of your technician before their arrival or at least give you their name. It’s always helpful to know these things for peace of mind when the technician arrives to your home.

4. KNOW YOUR PRICE. A respectable home service company should be able to give you a price quote over the phone when you call and book your service. Beware of companies who attempt to tack on additional charges and/or services once your initial service is completed. This is where researching the company and their reviews is beneficial. While there are definitely times when further work may be necessary, it’s a good idea to perform additional research, especially if the additional services you’re being told you need are costly.

Now, when things start to go amiss, you’ll be prepared.

EASY SHRIMP SCAMPI

“OUR CHARACTER IS NOT DEFINED IN THE GOOD TIMES, BUT IN THE HARD TIMES.”

INGREDI ENTS

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4 tbsp butter 4 tbsp olive oil

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1/2 cup dry white wine 1/4 cup lemon juice 8 oz cooked linguine

1 tbsp minced garlic

–PAUL BRODIE

1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined

1/4 cup parsley

1/2 tsp oregano

DIRECT IONS

1. In a skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp of butter with 2 tbsp of olive oil. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. 2. Add shrimp and oregano, stirring frequently until shrimp is pink. Remove shrimp from skillet. 3. Add wine and lemon juice to skillet and bring the mixture to a boil. 4. Stir in remaining butter and olive oil and cook until butter is melted. 5. Add cooked shrimp to skillet and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. 6. In a serving bowl, top cooked linguine with shrimp mixture. Garnish with parsley and serve. WWW. RE I D- PEDERSON . COM | 3 Inspired by The Blond Cook

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1762 SOUTH D I X I E HIGHWAY CRETE , I L 60417

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WE ARE THE LAND OF L INCOLN 3 REV I EW S I TES TO CHECK BEFORE TURNING ON THE TV TEAM MEMBER SPOTL IGHT CHOOS ING THE R IGHT SEWER CLEANING COMPANY EASY SHR IMP SCAMP I LEARN ALL ABOUT LEAP YEAR INSIDE THIS ISSUE

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FACTS ABOUT THE LEAP YEAR LEAP INTO 2020

Like the Olympics and presidential elections, leap years only occur once every four years, which is why many people look forward to Feb. 29. But there’s a lot that you might not know about this quirk on the calendar.

“leaplings.” The number of leaplings currently living in the U.S. is roughly 187,000. Some famous leaplings include motivational speaker Tony Robbins, rapper Ja Rule, and singer Mark Foster of Foster the People. However, the most famous leapling is probably Superman. When you invent a super-being, you might as well give him a super-birthday. WHERE Anthony, Texas/New Mexico (a single town that straddles the two states’ borders), claims the title “Leap Year Capital of the World.” The city throws one massive birthday party for all leaplings but invites everyone to join the celebration. Two leapling neighbors from Anthony began the tradition in 1988, and it’s blossomed into a festival with thousands of participants every four years. It includes banquets, hot air balloons, a carnival, concerts, parades, and more. When you have four years to plan in between each shindig, there’s time to go big. Celebrate this leap year by doing something unusual or new. It’s a special day that doesn’t occur often, so make the most of it by doing something you’ll talk about for another four years.

WHY To keep the calendar in sync with Earth’s orbit around the sun, an extra day is added to it every four years. Earth takes exactly 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds to orbit the sun. Those extra hours add up over time, so another calendar day becomes necessary. But a leap year doesn’t occur every four years. Adding that extra day still doesn’t quite keep Earth on track, so the calendar skips leap years that occur during century years not divisible by 400. For example, 2000 was a leap year, but 2100 won’t be. WHO The odds of being born on Feb. 29 are 1 in 1,461. That means that of the roughly seven billion people in the world, only about five million of them are

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