It's time to buckle down the hatches for winter. Here comes the snow, the blustery winds, the cold and the ice. This is the time of year when light-hearted visitors and residents flee for the beaches, for lower ground, or at least for hot chocolate. It's the time of year when you peer out your frosty window and sigh knowing that you won't see green or ground for months. And, you know what? That is all okay. It's okay because we get to go skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, and hang out by a roaring fireplace. Sure, it's not everyone's idea of paradise this time of year, but it's our little paradise.