SNOW MEANS FUN FOR BOTH YOUNG, OLD

For some, a foot of snow brings smiles, or at least a boon in business.

Seven-year-old Brian Steele and his 2-year-old brother, Adam, got a reprieve from bedtime Monday night to help their father, Jeffrey Steele, build a snow fort in the backyard.

Their mother, Diana, said Tuesday this was one of the first heavy snow falls either child had experienced.

"We used to live in Washington, D.C., and just moved here recently," she said. "But I don't remember any snow this deep."

The boys played in the snow until late Monday night, well past bedtime, and were back at it early Tuesday morning.

Diana Steele said she wasn't surprised. "My husband is one of those nuts who goes winter camping in the snow in Colorado for a vacation," she said.

The telephone rang non-stop at Diebold Parking Lot Service for nearly two days, said Viola Diebold Tuesday. She and her husband, Walter, have run the parking-lot-clearing service for over 30 years.

"They worked until midnight (Monday) night and were back at it early (Tuesday) morning," Diebold said.

Although a foot of snow means a surplus of business, Diebold said they would rather see a little moderation.

"We're not really happy," she said. "It means working day and night. We've had so many calls I don't have any idea how many."

Diebold had a list of requests that went on for pages.

The company has regular customers it cleans lots for every snow.

"We do grocery stores, doctors' offices, restaurants, churches," she said.

But inclement weather brings in calls from many other businesses looking for someone with a plow. She said her husband bought a Jeep last winter along with a snow plow to accommodate the extra jobs.

"There must not be that many people out there who plow lots," Diebold said.

In fact, about anyone with a snow blade attached to any sort of vehicle, from garden tractor to heavy equipment, could find work Tuesday.

Edwin Noffel started shoveling snow from the driveway at his home when the kid in him took over and he built a snowman.

"I guess I'm just a kid at heart," the Cape Girardeau orthodontist said. "I have four daughters and I've built a lot of snowmen, but it's been a long time. This is the first good snow we've had for a while."

Noffel finished only half of the drive, but the snowman was complete, decked out with red-flowered cap, tomato eyes and a carrot nose.

Employees at Mr. B's on William Street were stranded at work by Monday's snow. The restaurant paid to put them up in the Thrifty Inn next door.

After the restaurant closed at 11 p.m., the employees decided to enjoy the snow a little. They teamed up to build a snow chef on a platform about 15 feet off the ground.

Debbie Green, waitress at Mr. B's, said customers had been commenting on the chilly waitress all day Tuesday. "They wonder how they got that snowman up there."

Jeff Carnell, kitchen manager and snowman construction leader, explained that they filled a trash can lid with snow, hauled the snow up the ladder and built the snowman on the platform. It took about two hours to complete.

"We had cabin fever and were all snowed in here," said Chad Kight. He had the challenge Tuesday of changing the message sign behind the snowman.

Sheree Sperling of Sperling's Garage and Wrecker Service said they have been busy since the snow began to fall, a bit of an understatement from a woman who had keeping three tow trucks on the road for hours.

"Mainly it has been people who slid off the road or couldn't get into their driveway or out of their driveway," she said. Mostly vans and passenger cars seemed to be getting stuck, she said.

"We had a lot of them out on the interstate in the median," she said.

On Monday, the service had a three-hour waiting list for tow-truck service. The wait was somewhat shorter Tuesday.

"I still have all three trucks out," Sperling said at noon Tuesday.

Around noon Tuesday, Ed and Marsha Thompson began shoveling the steep, nearly-quarter-mile drive at their home on Cape Rock Drive.

Ed Thompson, who drives a four-wheel-drive vehicle, said he'd been in and out several times. But the family's other vehicles were trapped atop the hill.

The couple had shoveled a portion at the bottom of the drive, but Marsha Thompson said a second shift, their children, would soon take over the task.

"We usually do aerobics at lunchtime," Ed Thompson said, shovel in hand. "I don't guess we will today."