summer falls away
trees go bare, light disappears
boxes scare our dog
—JD, notes haiku #8

Opal

Fireworks? Loud booms? No big deal. Opal’s a confident dog. Yet somewhere along the way Opal became afraid of boxes delivered to the front door. Ordinarily deeply curious, she runs from a box brought inside the house.

Some of you may recall that since last August, we’ve been playing Vito’s Game. It’s been a fantastic mental exercise for Opal. She’s gotten very good at the game, and I’ve had to make it more and more complex with different obstacles and configurations. She will make mistakes, either through being unsure of a new shape or, truthfully, being lazy. Watching her figure out why she didn’t get a treat in the bowl has been so rewarding. It’s taught me how Opal needs a few moments to process something before acting. Another reason to be patient.

So, hmmm, boxes. The last couple of weeks, as a desensitization experiment, we’ve used boxes instead of cones and chairs as her obstacles. Because the boxes are being used for one of her favorite games, she’s dealing with them quite well. Over time, we’ll see how that translates to boxes being brought in from the front porch. (I’ll report back!)

Keeping the “box game” simple, Opal has mastered a straight line of boxes, going from bowl to bowl and cutting through them occasionally before self-correcting. She’s not supposed to cut through obstacles and she has to figure that out on her own. Sometimes, she’ll bark in frustration, and then finish the game without cutting between boxes for the win.

The link to the video below shows I made it a little harder for her by putting boxes on top of boxes. When you click on the photo, you’ll be taken to Vimeo to see the video. You don’t have to login or anything like that.

Young dogs go through fear periods, a common developmental phase up through 14 months of age. We’ve seen it happen with Opal twice now. First time happened months back with a set of dog stairs she uses to climb up to our bed. She used them no problem for weeks and weeks, and then suddenly became afraid to use them. It took a lot of patience, but she overcame her fear and now goes up and down her stairs like an expert. Then, more recently and just as suddenly, came the fear of boxes! Vito’s game may already be helping her.

So far Opal’s been nonplussed over the few houses that have decorated for Halloween. Since we’ve known her, Opal’s confidence and bravery have always been high. The ubiquitous inflatables have not gone up yet. More to be revealed how she’ll respond.

New Mexico

For those of you who are concerned about the Frijoles Fire in the Santa Fe Forest, that fire is now 90% contained, no longer a fire crisis.

New Mexico’s monsoon season begins mid-June and carries through until the end of September. This year, however, the summer was spent in an historic drought. The middle Rio Grande, an important water source for New Mexico and some other people, ran dry. In the Northern Mountains, we received very little rain. Instead, there was a lot of wind and lightning. (Frijoles was started by lightning.)

Come the end of September and all the monsoon rains came at once! Santa Fe reported over 7” of rain for the month. The Rio Grande flowed with water. Arroyos caved, roads crumbled, neighborhoods flooded, the Rio Grande waters caused havoc, and some communities, especially south of us had to be evacuated. In Northern New Mexico, Mora County—with burn scars from the 2022 Hermit Peak-Calf Canyon fire—took the brunt of flooding and mud.

We are grateful for the water and mindful of its overflowing dangers.

“Our weirdness isn’t just a marketing gimmick, it’s a highly documented historical byproduct.” — Darren Raspa, historian for the Air Force Research Laboratory at Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico Magazine, Sep 20, 2026

In New Mexico, Bigfoot, the Chupacabra, La Llorona, UFOs, visitors from other galaxies, ghosts of various ages and variety all reside in some fashion. Forget Breaking Bad. Vince Gilligan’s new show on Apple TV, Pluribus, and over on AMC, Graham Roland’s Dark Winds, the Diné mystery series, are what we’re about.

There are several roads throughout the state that have—instead of cow crossing signs—signs with cows being airlifted by space ships.

As Halloween approaches, we’ve begun setting up our tribute to the 1947 Roswell crash outside the front of our house. We built a small crashed space ship. There’s a skeleton dressed with an alien mask, and all the lights are green. (Personally, I don’t think beings from other worlds are green.) Last year, we obtained a 10’ alien who speaks in Spanish to the kiddos who come to the door. No tengas miedo! We call him Harry. We leave the scary ghouls, skeletons, and spirits to our neighbors.

Colliding with Halloween, many New Mexicans celebrate Día de Muertos. There will be a two day event held in the Santa Fe Plaza with buoyant music, altars and remembrances of those who have died. Our local library sponsors altars at each branch, and holds classes teaching people to make paper marigold garlands. Marigolds are central to the celebration as the flowers serve to guide the dead to the altars. An event both somber and joyous. Not scary at all.

Read to learn more about Día de Muertos.

Writing

A year ago, this newsletter began. I was scared. What if no one subscribes? But here we are, slowly growing. A good friend, mentor even, advised me to do a newsletter. If you’ve been reading the last year—wow, thank you for still being here! If you’re new, I hope you’ll stick with me.

The parameters I set for the newsletters were simple. It had to be sustainable: once a month with only three topics. It took me a bit to find my voice for this thing. ahem Eventually, I settled on three topics around a theme. Sometimes, I succeed.

When in doubt, write about your dog, my good friend said. That’s easy. Opal’s fun to write about. New Mexico’s a given as it holds a special place in my heart. And, well, something about my writing life.

I don’t talk about this much—because who cares except maybe other writers—but everything about writing is scary. From the blank page which mocks us, daring us to dirty it up. From the kernel of an idea, urging us to follow through with it. From the drafting phase fearing it’s bilge and no one will care to read it. To finishing a “final draft” and sending it out into the world. To waiting to hear how readers respond to your work. Scary.

Hey, at least with a play that’s up on the boards, you can hear people groan, cry, laugh, gasp, and applaud. Immediate feedback, ay?

But I don’t write plays today, having turned to prose.

Something inside has always compelled me to create stories and explore ideas.

Exhilarating, calming, exciting—those experiences are part of writing, too.

Still out in query land looking for an agent: For Always.

The new novel I’m writing gives me a lot of pleasure. It also ventures into areas I know little or nothing about because the main character is an astrophysicist.

Scary. And also fun.

Stay kind, curious, and caring, friends. See you anon.—JD

AND PLEASE DON’T FORGET TO VOTE!

• Currently drinking: Taiwanese roasted oolong via Liquid Proust. (He calls the tea “W in the Chat for Taiwan.” I’d say Taiwanese oolong is always a win.)

• Currently reading: The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow

• Currently using: Edison Huron inked with Platinum Mix Free “Olive Oil” recipe