Ugh...winter problems?

As most of you know, winters can be pretty brutal in Minnesota.  I've always enjoyed winter and really this one hasn't been any different.  I'm lucky that I have a snowblower for the feet and feet of snow we get.  However, this winter has been a little costly too.  First, after a few weeks with the new car, one of the rims was cracked.  A couple different mechanics said they see it quite often during the winter as more and more potholes cause more and more problems.  Then last week I noticed a leak from in our utility room.  It was from a drain pipe or vent pipe, I did everything I could think of to figure out which pipe was causing the problem.  A friend of a friend (a license plumber) and immediately thought it was the drain pipe, but after an hour or so of further investigation we concluded it was indeed the vent pipe.  Its fixed temporarily but a little roof work needs to be done once the snow melts!  Winter problems in Minnesota...