Tim Hanke of Pequot Lakes dragged his snow clearing equpiment Tuesday as he helped neighbors clear snow. Photo by Pete Mohs

The heavy snow has been a godsend for Joe and Peggy Gammello, who own and operate Sunnyside Services out of Breezy Point.

"My husband is out plowing right now. This is just absolutely great. It's probably the best market we have had for our business in 10 years," said Peggy, who handles the bookkeeping end of the business. "Last year we were living on our charge cards. The snow for us means that we can make a decent living."

Husband Joe pushes snow with a Hiniker V-plow mounted on his '92 full-size Chevy Blazer. Peggy said that when the snow cometh, he's out clearing parking lots and residential driveways 17 to 20 hours a day. She said about 25 percent of their clients are commercial establishments, and 75 percent are residential.

Peggy said they also have a skid steer loader and dump truck, and if the snow keeps piling up, they'll soon be putting that equipment to good use. That's because it's getting hard to find a place for all the snowy bounty.

Another snow removal expert is 22-year-old Mike Prososki of Pine River. He owns and operates All Care Services, a dock sales and service business on Highway 84 near Pine River.

But for the winter months, Prososki saddles up, slaps a V-plow on his Chevy three-quarter-ton pickup and dispatches the white drifts for cash. He's been cleaning driveways and parking lots for about three years, but he has mixed feelings about the business.

"It's kind of a hassle and it's not all gravy, that's for sure," Prososki said. "You can make a lot of money during a big snow, but you've got a lot of expenses, too."

The Pine River post office sidewalk is shoveled on Dec. 30. Photo by Michell Folkeringa

For example, Prososki said his pickup gets only five or six miles per gallon while blading snow, and working the blade also takes a toll on the vehicle.

"You get all kinds of problems - front end, suspension, ball joints," he said. "It's heavy wear and tear on the vehicle and that takes down your profits. Or you might hit a tree or stump, damage your vehicle, and that costs you."

Still another challenge associated with operating a snow removal service is the need to be on call, and shaping one's life around whenever fickle Mother Nature decides to sit back and lob snowballs at us.

"I have about 50 accounts right now," Prososki said. "You try to get to everyone as fast as you can, but you obviously can't get everywhere during a big snow. But the other thing is you can't really go anywhere too far away, because if it happens to snow when you're gone, you won't be there to serve your customers."

But Randy Roach of Roach Lawn and Marine in Crosslake said tons of snow equals happy Minnesota!

"When you live in Minnesota and if you want to play in Minnesota, a lot of snow is what you need, and what you should have," he said. "People can get out and enjoy it."

Roach sells Toro snowblowers and he said he is doing his best business in years.

"Sales are still down a little because of the general economy, but we're having our best year in about four years," Roach said. "Service is up, parts sales are up. Last year we had an excellent snowfall on Dec. 1 and Dec. 2, and then that was pretty much it for the rest of the winter. This is a lot better."

But if your job is to deliver mail across miles of rural roads, the meddling wrath of Ullr - the Nordic god of snowstorms - means a tough day ahead getting letters and packages to all the good people.

Rural mail route driver Jamie Aldin said that during blizzards, she reminds herself of the unofficial motto of the U.S. Postal Service, quipped by the ancient Greek historian Herodotus 2,500 years ago: "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these courageous couriers!"

"It was exciting," Aldin said of Tuesday, Dec. 23, when about six new inches a snow fell all day on top of the approximately 17 inches already on the ground. "I do get a little nervous. I travel 91 miles every day, and a lot of it is the back roads. Luckily, if I ever get stuck, one of the farmers will come out with a tractor and pull me out."

Aldin drives a Honda all-wheel drive CRV, which gets her through the snow in great shape most of the time. She's been driving her route for seven years, and has only been stuck a couple of times.

Dwight Johnson has been traveling his rural mail route for 31 years, and in three decades has pretty much driven through just about everything the elements have dished out, but admits December was been a pretty tough month.

Johnson said a late December snow is something of a double-whammy for mail carriers because heavy snow gets combined with the heaviest mail loads of the year - Christmas.

"It's tough going on those days," Johnson said. "It slows things down."

Johnson said his Buick Century with front-wheel drive has proven equal to the task of navigating snowy roads. Fortunately for him, and unlike Aldin, the majority of his route is paved road.

Get ready for more. Based on about 100 years of statistical data, the National Weather Service (NWS) is predicting above average snow amounts for the rest of the winter. But Mike Gillispie of the NWS points out that much of Minnesota, especially north central Minnesota, has been experiencing droughty conditions for about five years.

A heavy snow pack will do far more to recharge the groundwater and replenish the moisture than would heavy spring rains because snow sinks in slowly as it melts.

So not only does all the snow mean some extra green for local folks - it also holds the promise of greener spring when the land is ready to reawaken to grow and produce abundance.