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Winter Wonderland

By Dean Norman

I woke up to see my backyard transformed overnight into a winter wonderland. Freezing rain had coated everything with ice, and now wet snow was piling down. Bushes trees, wires, lawn furniture I had neglected to store away...it was all a beautiful crystal sculpture. 

I sat looking out the window as I waited for the toast to pop up and coffee water to boil. I turned on the TV. Gosh, power was out for so many people. Those poor folks would not be admiring a winter wonderland. They would be shivering for lack of heat, not fixing themselves a hot breakfast, worrying about how much food in their refrigerator freezer would spoil if the power was out for a long time.

Suddenly the lights blinked. Blinked again, and went out. Oh, no! My toast hadn’t popped up yet. My coffee water hadn’t boiled. My furnace stopped. I felt chilly already. We had just put a lot of stuff in the freezer, and…

Yay! The power was back on! Why did I worry so much about bad things that might happen? Look how beautiful the backyard looked. A winter wonderland. People should take time to admire the beauty in nature, even when it sometimes causes some inconvenience. I feel sorry for people who look out of their window at a winter storm and can’t appreciate a winter wonderland.

My toast is up. Perfect light tan color. My coffee water is boiling. Should I slap some butter on my toast first or grab the hot water and pour it over the grounds? No better way to appreciate a winter wonderland than munching hot buttered and honey dripping toast while sipping fresh brewed dark roast coffee. I will say a prayer for the poor folks who still don’t have power. And people who are not retired and have to worry about how they can get to work today. I used to have to do that.

OH, NO! Lights just went out again!

— Dean Norman 

Dean Norman is a cartoonist and humor writer, whose work has appeared in greeting cards,The New Yorker, MAD Magazine, The Cleveland Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine and The Kansas City Star. He's also written comedy for cartoon shows and written and illustrated children's books. He illustrated a cartoon book for Cleveland Metroparks, Cleveland Metroparks Adventures.

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