A Gallery of Art & Words

A few weeks ago, Matt and I were enjoying a lunch at a great Mexican restaurant, Flores, and this beautiful piece of art caught my eye. The artist’s name is in the lower right hand corner. I immediately thought of my good friend, Resa, at graffitiluxandmurals.com because she has an eye for stunning street art that she shares on her blog. I had to get some photos, so I pulled out my cell and took a few. Then I sent them to Resa, and she was thrilled to include them in a post last week. Since I was on a blogging break, I’m sharing her fabulous post today where she not only spotlights this gorgeous painting, but many other faces that will take your breath away.

Please click on over to Resa’s blog for more! She is an amazing seamstress, photographer, artist, and friend who raises the bar when it comes to supporting others. 💖

In addition to Resa’s blog post, if you saw mine from Monday, you’ll know that my haiku “The Reveal” was published on Gobblers by Masticadores. Well, Resa left a comment on Gobblers, and here’s one of her lines: “This Haiku is so pretty, I want it to be a longer poem.” Not only did she inspire me, but she challenged me too. I met the challenge head on, doing my best to create a series of six haiku – #1 is the original.

(1) The Reveal

in the night abyss
shimmering with white diamonds
hope winks with promise

(2)

optimism shines
through each gem pushing aside
sierra-sized ang
st

(3)

mystery flows from
one star to the next for our
steady pondering

(4)

wonder breathes beneath
darkness in its cluster of
bright luminaries

(5)

glimmers emit warmth
fulfilling souls longing for
pure enlightenment

(6)

peace sinks into hearts
entwined with a promise from
one momentous wink

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All available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Click on sidebar image for more info, and to
purchase for your holiday shopping! Thank you! ❤️

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
Author and poet, Lauren Scott, enjoys small-town living in the Bay Area with her husband, Matt, of thirty-seven years. Their adult son and daughter live out of state, and with frequent visits and technology, the family of four remains close. Lauren has published four poetry collections, a memoir, and her first children’s book. Her latest poetry collection is a tribute to her family’s Chocolate Labrador who crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in spring 2025. Lauren is a recent Pushcart Nominee and has been a guest on several podcasts. Her writing is featured on Spillwords Press where she was voted Author of the Month and garnered Publication of the Month awards. She is a contributing author in several anthologies, and her work is also shared on Gobblers and Masticadores. Her muse discovers inspiration from her family, spending time outdoors, reveling in simple things, and marveling at the mysteries of life.

Surprises happen when you take a blogging break!

‘Tis the season! Photo taken by my son last year.

Dear Friends,

Happy December! First of all, on the weekend, I tried to activate the snow effect on my blog, but it wasn’t working. Then this morning, it was snowing! A miracle? I don’t know, but I’ll take it as a good sign. ❄️ Now for those who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope yours was beyond wonderful! We had a lovely time seeing our son and daughter, feeling grateful for everything, but not just on that special Thursday – every day is a day of gratitude. Then we decorated the house for Christmas and it looks beautiful and festive. We played Scrabble, watched movies, went for walks, talked about life, and guess what? Yesterday, I wrote book reviews! Yes, I was behind, so I carved out some time yesterday! I’ll share them this month. Anyway, I missed you all, but I hope you’ve had a great week! And I normally don’t like to add too much to a post simply to keep things simple, but on the day I ‘left’ for a break, I received incredible and unexpected news:

Pushcart Nomination Overview

The Pushcart nomination is a process in which literary magazines and small presses select outstanding works—poetry, essays, or fiction—from their publications for inclusion in the annual Pushcart Prize anthology. Editors submit their chosen pieces to the Pushcart Prize editors, who review all nominations and select the winners for publication.Your letters of nomination will go out before December 1, 2025! Congratulations and good luck!

If you have time (smile), please pay a visit to Gabriela and Manuela. They’ll appreciate your presence, and I’ll appreciate your support. I look forward to reading your posts again, and wish you all a dazzling December! ❄️🩵

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you for coming by! I’m grateful for you all! ❤️

All available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
Click on sidebar image for more info, and to
purchase for your holiday shopping!
Thank you! 🙏

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
Author and poet, Lauren Scott, enjoys small-town living in the Bay Area with her husband, Matt, of thirty-seven years. Their adult son and daughter live out of state, and with frequent visits and technology, the family of four remains close. Lauren has published four poetry collections, a memoir, and her first children’s book. Her latest poetry collection is a tribute to her family’s Chocolate Labrador who crossed over the Rainbow Bridge in spring 2025. Lauren is a recent Pushcart Nominee and has been a guest on several podcasts. Her writing is featured on Spillwords Press where she was voted Author of the Month and garnered Publication of the Month awards. She is a contributing author in several anthologies, and her work is shared bimonthly on Gobblers and Masticadores. Her muse discovers inspiration from her family, spending time outdoors, reveling in simple things, and marveling at the mysteries of life.

Autumn shows her true colors in Wine Country

View from Char Vale Winery deck

We spent last weekend in Wine Country, specifically visiting our favorite boutique winery, Char Vale Vineyards. Our experiences at Char Vale have been so wonderful that we became members. So last weekend, our plan was to pick up the bottles of wine that we had ordered. But as members, we were offered complimentary wine tasting. The owner and staff always go the extra mile, and the setting is magical. On this visit, the one and only winemaker, Justin, came out to meet us, and we chatted for almost a half hour. It was interesting to learn more about the process. We also love this time of year, so watching the wardrobe of Autumn unfold was stunning, to say the least. Golden hues, oranges, reds…warm and cozy vibes. I hope you enjoy the photos…

10 acres of vineyard
From our table
Enjoying the sips and notes and scenery.
View from our hotel of the quaint downtown.
Early Sunday morning.

Are you surprised that I became inspired to write? 🙂 I hope you enjoy these haiku…

(1)

harvest has ended
as season of fall arrives
field of golden hues

(2)

blue sky stretches to
infinity as we sip
notes of pear and peach

(3)

autumn parades her
golden gown through ten acres
blue sky umbrella

(4)

process continues
when leaves gently pirouette
lovely vines bare all

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The weekend was beautiful beyond words, and now raindrops dance on our roof. Thanks so much for stopping by, and I wish you a wonderful day! If you found a favorite photo or haiku, let me know in the comments! 🧡❤️🍁

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com

Click on my son’s image to order your copy! 🧡

Lauren Scott
Author – King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry
Author – Cora’s Quest (a children’s book)
Author – Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry
Author – More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose
Author – Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry
Author – New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry
Co-Author – Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku
Co-Author – Petals of Haiku: An Anthology
Co-Author – This Is How We Grow
Co-Author – Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships
Bi-Monthly Contributor on Gobblers by Masticadores
Spillwords Author of the Month May 2023
Spillwords Publication of the Month October 2024
Spillwords Publication of the Month June 2025

Nightfall Symphony

Friday evening provided inspiration for this haibun…

Heading north, airplanes soar in the clear blue, spotlighted by final sun-rays. The golden orb slowly turns in for repose. The sky transforms into a velvet cloak with a few winking stars. Temperatures fall for relief. A covert presence performs a chirping chorus, echoing through firs and oaks – nightly courtship calls. A welcomed soundtrack, soothing like ocean waves for inland people.

soaking in stillness
listening to nature’s song
crickets serenade

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
I couldn’t get a good photo, so let your
imaginations do the work! Happy weekend!
❤️🤗

Click on my son’s image to order your copy! 🧡


Lauren Scott
Author – King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry
Author – Cora’s Quest (a children’s book)
Author – Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry
Author – More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose
Author – Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry
Author – New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry
Co-Author – Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku
Co-Author – Petals of Haiku: An Anthology
Co-Author – This Is How We Grow
Co-Author – Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships
Bi-Monthly Contributor on Gobblers by Masticadores
Spillwords Author of the Month May 2023
Spillwords Publication of the Month October 2024
Spillwords Publication of the Month June 2025

The Reveal – haiku

in a night abyss
shimmering with white diamonds
hope winks with promise

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
Photo by Kennst du schon die Umkreisel on Pexels.com

Click on my daughter’s image to order your copy! 🧡

Thanks for stopping by, and I wish you a beautiful day! 💙

Lauren Scott

Author – King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry
Author – Cora’s Quest (a children’s book)
Author – Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry
Author – More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose
Author – Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry
Author – New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry
Co-Author – Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku
Co-Author – Petals of Haiku: An Anthology
Co-Author – This Is How We Grow
Co-Author – Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships
Bi-Monthly Contributor on Gobblers by Masticadores
Spillwords Author of the Month May 2023
Spillwords Publication of the Month October 2024
Spillwords Publication of the Month June 2025

Almost ‘Fall-ing’ – a haiku trio

When I think of the new season upon us, I envision warm reds, oranges, and yellows, and vibrant shades of pink. I can smell cinnamon baking in the oven, and imagine sipping a pumpkin spice latte for a morning treat and hot apple cider as an evening winds down. Maybe an occasional indulgence in a delicious apple crisp, and of course, some cozying up under soft blankets.
This is my favorite season, so won’t you join me as we enjoy a little fall-ing? 🍂🍎🍁

These photos are from years past, as summer is stubborn and won’t let the trees transform just yet, but I’m ready for the change now…

1.

crisp mornings join late
summer afternoons to greet
fall’s cozy prelude

2.

leaves change into their
raspberry autumn wardrobe
attire for the dance

3.

new season creates
inundation in its wake
melodious crunch

Click on my daughter’s image to order your copy! 🧡

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
This blog content cannot be used to train AI.


Author – King Copper: Our dog’s life in poetry
Author – Cora’s Quest (a children’s book)
Author – Ever So Gently: A Collection of Poetry
Author – More than Coffee: Memories of Verse and Prose
Author – Finding a Balance: A Collection of Poetry
Author – New Day, New Dreams: A Collection of Poetry
Co-Author – Tranquility: An Anthology of Haiku
Co-Author – Petals of Haiku: An Anthology
Co-Author – This Is How We Grow
Co-Author – Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships
Bi-Monthly Contributor at Gobblers by Masticadores
Spillwords Author of the Month May 2023
Spillwords Publication of the Month October 2024
Spillwords Publication of the Month June 2025

An Avoidable Tizzy

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Dr. Google isn’t credible, which leads me to the quote, “Don’t believe what you read on the internet.” I didn’t heed the advice. I mimicked the drowning man in the parable,  “Two Boats and a Helicopter.” Do you recall this man who passed up several rescue attempts while facing raging floodwaters because he knew that God would save him? How we miss the signs…Instead, I dove into the words, ignorant of their harm like a fly into a web – each syllable engrained into my psyche, tossing me into a tizzy as Dad would say. I couldn’t get out of my head. It was a night of sheet thrashing. Poor sheets thinking, “What have we done?”

I held my breath, hoping for daylight to peek through the curtains, watching the red digits on the loyal clock seemingly remain in place. So, when light glimmered through the white fabric, it felt like a lighthouse’s beacon. I let go of an exhale, another day – enough of those words! They can’t hurt me anymore (sticks and stones), for darkness is no longer their ally. A step forward into a new mindset that will comfort and encourage.

browsing online can
provoke unhealthy thinking
fact check for trueness

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Thanks for popping in! I hope you’ve had a good weekend so far and wish you a lovely Sunday. ❤️

© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
This blog content cannot be used to train AI.

Click on the image to order your copy! 🧡

Protective Gear

At first, I was uncertain. How would I live with my own personal white noise tailing me like a spy? I couldn’t make a James Bond escape. A daunting shadow stalked me for days because the constant hiss felt claustrophobic though I’ve never been…but then time doesn’t concern itself with rest, and I learned to tune it out (the irony). So, to you who reassured me that life goes on despite the hiss, I offer my deepest gratitude. And then I rotated my thoughts, tumbling them in the frontal lobe like clothes in a Kenmore dryer, until my attitude experienced a transformation. My personal noise became protective gear, shielding me from unwanted hubbub in the world, carrying a more soothing cause than threatening.

We deal with the hands we’re dealt, but some take more grit than others to navigate. This should be acknowledged, so navigation time is subject to personal situations. Yet, in doing so, we create our own rules, bringing a whisper of warmth settling over us like being wrapped in the comfort of a cashmere blanket.

try inviting in
a positive perspective
to alleviate

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© Lauren Scott, Baydreamerwrites.com
This blog content cannot be used to train AI.

This post is a follow-up to my original “Hiss”
in case you missed it.

Photo by SlipcoverKAS .COM on Pexels.com 
Happy Monday, and I wish you a wonderful week! ❤️

Available on Amazon, and Barnes & Noble,
but click on the image to purchase
your copy through Amazon.
💜