Well, winter has finally arrived. The snow and ice that began last Friday and spent the weekend was an unwelcome visitor. We all knew winter had to come, but a soft, pretty couple of inches of snow is what most of us would have preferred. You can clean that up fairly easily, enjoy its beauty, and still go about your business. This first blast was only a couple of inches but it was snow, then freezing rain, making it almost impossible to clean and forcing people to stay inside because streets and sidewalks were simply too dangerous.

Having unwisely made a date to see a movie on Saturday afternoon, I bundled up. As soon as I stepped onto the front porch I knew this trip was foolish. I use a pair of crutches and they started to slip and slide immediately, but instead of going inside and calling off the date I continued. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was playing at West Babylon and was well worth the trip. I had been somewhat leery about seeing this… Like most people in NY, I hate to think about 9/11 for any length of time. But the film is set three years after the attack and the focus is on the boy and his “expedition.” The cast was wonderful and I suspect this film will be garnering lots of prizes.

Have you noticed that there are several new specialty shops in the Village? Opening just before Christmas, The Babylon Cheese Cellar, at 51 Deer Park Avenue, run by Nina, Patrick and Anthony, has an interesting selection of cheeses and other gourmet goodies. I especially liked a mild cranberry cheese they offered in December.

At about the same time, A.G.’s Cupcakery & Coffee Bar opened at 14 Railroad Avenue. Especially wellpositioned for commuters, students and shoppers, the shop has been very busy, having to make several extra batches of cupcakes a day. The shop’s manager, Garrison, tells me they’ve also become very popular for baby showers. I’ve managed to try the red velvet and chocolate cupcakes and found them delicious! Other offerings include bagels and croissants, gelato and ice cream, not to mention numerous flavors of coffee and tea.

Kilwins is coming! Owner John Murray hopes to open Kilwins Babylon shortly before Easter. Located at 130 Deer Park Avenue (the corner of Deer Park and Grove Place), it will be the first Kilwins in New York State. The original Kilwins opened in 1947 in Michigan, and now has franchises from Colorado to Florida. Products made in the store include Mackinac Island fudge, brittles, caramels, caramel apples and caramel corn, as well as hand-dipped chocolate products. Expect to watch these goodies being made in the shop windows, if this is like other Kilwins shops. In addition, Kilwins is known for their original recipe ice cream. John tells me that in Florida, fans wait in line for half-an-hour for Kilwins ice cream. The shop will feature an ice cream cart that can be rented for birthday parties and other special events.

Best of luck to all of these shops…I’d better start dining on salad daily just so I can indulge myself with some of these goodies!