Glimmers in the dark

“touch of frost” is an 11x14 mixed media collage made with paper and paint on cradled wood. This is part of my 2026 calendar. A version of boxed holiday notecards reads “joy to the world.” © Annette Makino 2025

I must admit, these short, dark days are hard to take. Being more of a night owl, I miss part of the limited daylight we get in the mornings, then feel shocked and cheated when twilight approaches before 5 p.m. So unfair! 

How to cope? I try to appreciate merino wool sweaters, flannel sheets, and our wood-burning stove. And ignore the fact that spring is still months away—in fact, it’s not even officially winter yet! Still, it’s cold, dark and damp, and I struggle.

otter dusk
what’s left of the light
slips downstream

But it turns out that the worst is already behind us: yesterday saw the earliest sunset of the year here, at 4:48 p.m. From today on, the days will feel longer even though the winter solstice is not until December 21. So hurray for the return of the light!

I’m finding that the best way to make my way through this hard-to-love season is to look for glimmers of joy. Last Thursday my husband, son and I went tide pooling during a ridiculously beautiful sunset (see below), which we would have missed had the sun set after dinner. 

Sunset at Houda Point in Trinidad, CA, during a minus tide. December 2025.  Photo: Annette Makino

a cormorant air-dries its wings

         sea-washed stones

Saturday night we took part in Arts Alive, a monthly cornucopia of local art and music during which Paul and I  got to join our old choir for a few songs. Sunday we watched a fun play featuring an evil sock puppet orc who sings a hilarious but poignant solo. On Monday morning I taught a haiku workshop to a class of surprisingly engaged high school sophomores who impressed me with their creativity.

Holiday season brings the special pleasures of gathering with family, friends and community. This coming weekend, I’m looking forward to having a Makino Studios booth at the Arcata Holiday Craft Fair. As my only in-person event this season, this is a rare chance to meet face-to-face with my customers and to hear their stories. That is a key part of what keeps me going in my art biz.

However winter hits you, here’s wishing you bright glimmers to celebrate in this dark season. Happy holidays!

touch of frost
the dog smiling
from nose to tail

warmly, Annette Makino

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Happy merry holidays!

Makino Studios News

Free shipping: Use promo code HOLIDAY2025 at checkout for free shipping on all Makino Studios orders, no minimum. Good for first-class shipping within the U.S. One promo code per order. Promotion ends at midnight this Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025.

2026 mini-calendars: Small calendars of art and haiku make great holiday gifts! They feature 12 colorful Asian-inspired collages with my original haiku. $12 each.

Cards: Holiday, birthday, sympathy or everyday  . . . right now there are around 80 Makino Studios card designs to choose from. I also have notecard sets, including holiday designs.

Water and Stone: My award-winning book of art and haiku includes 50 watercolor paintings with my original poems. Cost is $25. I will sign them on request—just send me an email after you order. 

Holiday shipping: The US Postal Service advises that to ensure that packages arrive by Dec. 25, they should be shipped by Dec. 17.

Arcata Holiday Craft Market: Featuring food, music, and local vendors, this festive fair takes place 10 to 5 on Saturday, Dec. 13 and 10 to 4 on Sunday, Dec. 14 at the Arcata Community Center in Arcata, CA. Look for the Makino Studios booth on the lefthand side of the main room. This will be my only in-person event this season. Admission is a $2 donation benefiting the Youth Development Scholarship Fund.

Made in Humboldt fair: The “Made in Humboldt” event at Pierson Garden Shop in Eureka, CA runs through Dec. 24. There are more some 300 local vendors; Makino Studios items include my 2026 calendars, books, prints and boxed notecards.

CREDITS: “otter dusk” - Acorn, Fall 2025; “a cormorant” - Nowhere Else: Haiku North America 2025 Anthology, Eds. Michael Dylan Welch and Chuck Brickley, Press Here, 2025; “touch of frost” - 2026 in Art and Haiku, Annette Makino, 2025

In memory of Misha

“the jingle” is 11x14, painted with Japanese watercolors and sumi ink and watercolor paper. © Annette Makino 2019

Our family had to say goodbye to our beloved rescue dog Misha a few weeks ago. He was at least sixteen and a half years old, and his little body just wore out.

Long ago, I became his person and he became my sidekick and muse, inspiring all sorts of art and haiku. He gave me the unconditional love that only a dog can provide, and losing him has been even harder than I expected.

But after a month of grieving, the pain of Misha’s difficult last weeks and his passing is giving way to memories of his many good years. In processing the loss, I browsed through literally hundreds of photos of him. There he is trotting down a leafy trail, racing along the ocean, snuggling with my kids. After his traumatic puppyhood, we gave him a great life.

Misha, we miss you deeply, but we’re grateful we got fifteen years with you. May your spirit run free on the beach forever.

Following is a haibun about Misha from my 2021 book, Water and Stone. (Haibun are prose pieces with haiku.)

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Lost and Found

The dog is supposed to be for my eleven-year-old. Searching online for a hypoallergenic breed, she finds a small white poodle-bichon mix listed by an animal rescue group. One hot summer afternoon, we pick him up from his foster mom in the parking lot of a Sacramento gas station.

Scrawny and shaved almost to the skin, with huge brown eyes, Misha attaches himself to us right away. My daughter falls head over heels, saying, “I love him so much that sometimes I just have to laugh to let it out—I feel like I’ll burst if I don’t.”

Misha has had a hard run. It seems he was lost or abandoned somewhere near the Mojave Desert. When picked up and taken to the San Bernardino pound some weeks earlier, he was emaciated, filthy, matted, and suffering from giardia. He had dog bite marks on his head and shoulders and an infected cut almost completely encircling his neck. But it turns out his deepest wounds are emotional.

thrift store puzzle
the holes
you can never fill

Misha was happiest when the whole pack was together. RIP Misha Makino. Born est. 2006 or 2007. Died June 28, 2023.

In our first days and months together, we learn that Misha has severe separation anxiety. When left alone, he claws his way through screen doors, digs under gates and fences, chews through leashes, and scratches up doorframes and floorboards, all in desperate attempts to find us. He is determined he will never again be abandoned.

We watch dog-training videos, read dog books, and discuss the problem with Misha’s vet. But through tough love, Misha trains us to take him everywhere. And as anyone could have predicted, I end up taking over his care from my daughter.

home from errands—
a hero’s welcome
from the dog

Despite Misha’s issues and all his trauma, he turns out to be a very sweet fellow who brings a lot of comedy and laughter into our home. He is pushing fifteen now—105 in dog years—and going blind and deaf. But “His Dogship” still makes sure we get our daily walks at the beach, along the river, or through the woods. And for short bursts, he can zoom around like a puppy, barking at us to try and tag him.

Again and again, I tap his rump as he zooms past. Again and again, I claim him.

the jingle
of the dog’s tags
wild currant in bloom

(“Lost and Found” is from Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku; Annette Makino; Makino Studios; 2021. The included haiku were previously published in Modern Haiku, tinywords, Four Hundred and Two Snails: Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology 2018 and The Heron’s Nest.)

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Makino Studios News

“bright eyes” is 11x14, painted with sumi ink on rice paper. © Annette Makino 2011

Playful dog sticker: To celebrate Misha’s life, I am planning to create a sticker from an early sumi ink painting of Misha in a playful stance. I’m away on a creative retreat this week without good wifi, but please let me know if you’re interested in ordering one and I’ll tell you know when they’re ready. Cost will be around $4-5.

Sunkist Festival: I’ll have a booth at this small and sweet fair on Sunday, August 6 from 11 to 5. Besides arts and crafts, the festival will feature wood-fired pizzas and other goodies plus live music. 135 Sunkist Lane, off Glendale in McKinleyville, CA, near the Blue Lake Murphy’s Market.

Obon Festival: Organized by Humboldt Asian Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI), the Obon Festival will take place on Sunday, August 13 at the Creamery District in Arcata, CA from 4 to 8 p.m. There will be taiko drumming, bon odori dancing, bento boxes, games for kids and vendors like me. (I’ve decided not to do the North Country Fair in September, so these two fairs are your best shot at catching my Makino Studios booth in the coming months.)

A sampling of dog haiku for Haiku Poetry Day

“the family we choose” is 8x10, made of paper, acrylic paint and glue on board. © Annette Makino 2020

Today, April 17, is International Haiku Poetry Day! In celebration, I’m sharing a collection of haiku I’ve published over the years about a subject near and dear to my heart: dogs.

These poems were all inspired by our sweet, funny and neurotic poodle mix, Misha. At 16-plus years old, he is clearly declining and we don’t know how much longer he’ll be with us. So I want to celebrate him while he’s still around.

the jingle
of the dog’s tags
wild currant in bloom

bush after bush
the dog’s news feed
juicier than mine

Misha just relaxing at home.

open road
the dog’s ears
streaming

waning crescent
the dog re-checks
his food bowl

steady rain all night snoring from the dog bed

hunger moon
a descendent of wolves
licks our plates

wet black nose the simple things

constellations
one barking dog
sets off another

empty bowl
I explain daylight savings
to the dog

rhythm of rain
the dog curls tighter
in his sleep

campaign sign
the dog registers
his opinion

home from errands—
a hero’s welcome
from the dog

rolling thunder
the old dog
too deaf to panic

winter night
the dog crawls deeper
under the covers

lengthening shadows
I lift our old dog
into the back seat

the family we choose
he nudges his snout
under my hand

Happy Haiku Day from Misha and me!

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Makino Studios

Free shipping thru Sunday: In celebration of Haiku Poetry Day, I’m offering free shipping on the Makino Studios site through this Sunday, April 23, with no order minimum. Use code HAIKU2023 at checkout.

Sunkist Festival: This small and delightful fair takes place on Saturday, May 6, from 11 to 5. Formerly known as the Pizza and Pottery Festival, it will feature wood-fired pizzas and other goodies plus live music. In the garden at 135 Sunkist Lane, off Glendale near the Blue Lake Murphy’s Market in McKinleyville, CA.

Mother’s Day and graduation cards: Mother’s Day is Sunday, May 14 and graduation ceremonies are coming right up. I have several card designs for both occasions. You can browse all 70-plus designs here.

A New Resonance 13: I’m delighted to be one of the 17 haiku poets featured in this landmark series published by Red Moon Press. Featuring a wide variety of emerging voices in haiku, these books are now available to pre-order. I expect to receive my copies within a week or so and will ship orders as soon as possible.

Calendars: My last 2023 mini-calendars of art and haiku are now on sale for $6.99 (from $12).

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Publication credits:

2021 in art & haiku by Annette Makino
A Hundred Gourds
Four Hundred and Two Snails: Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology 2018
Frogpond
Haigaonline
Haiku News
Hedgerow
Modern Haiku
Notes from the Gean
Presence
Red Paper Parasols: 2022 Southern California Haiku Study Group Anthology
The Heron’s Nest
tinywords
ukiaHaiku Festival 2014, first place, General Adult
Wishbone Moon: An International Anthology of Haiku by Women