Images

I love taking pictures of trees. Dead or alive they hold mysterious beauty as to the struggles, the winds and the storms they've endured.

The sunrise...

and sunsets...the trees come alive.

I think the clouds lend a hand in the beauty. 

Simply put... trees are the branches of life

Poetry Sunday ~ Autumn's Score

Rev. 22:2 “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.”

Autumn’s Score

One by one they fell 

Lifeless where once alive

No more life in hell

From the tree, they dive.

Spiraling without sound

Swept away by wind

Falling to the ground

The veins therefore rescind

Leave the tree so bare

Vitality now within

Gone without a care

The barren knows no sin.

Stoic bark and beauty

Asleep the life no more

Thumbprint lasting duty

Spring is autumn’s score.

Poetry Sunday ~ The Soul's Ascent

Pss. 11: 1 "In the LORD put I my trust: How say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?"

The Soul's Ascent

I peered up at the towering mount 

That glistened from the snow

Would I reach that velvet cap 

That no one dared to go 

The very tip seems to drift

In a string of pearly lace 

No end in sight for it was hidden

Upon this rocky face 

Burgeoning trees whispered still 

They called within the deep 

Nature would carry my weary legs 

If for my soul to keep 

Every aching step I took

Impelled in me to climb 

A voice was beckoning in my head 

Transcending the sublime 

I walked on faded fury 

As the summit reared its head 

The stones were trembling underfoot 

My essence being fed 

Every time I stumbled about 

My eyes would rise to see

The brilliance of the lemon rays 

Shining down on me

I gasp for air my final steps 

What seems to last for miles 

My bated breath my moistened brow 

Slowly, sweeps the aisles

I let it out a HOWLING yell 

I gaze at the valley below

My echoes resound in empty space 

My soul begins to glow

I reach the powdered summit 

My mind now crystal clear

It's never the journey taken... 

It's relinquishing all you fear!

The Earth

Gen. 1:10 “And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.”

The Earth 

Agriculture and its destruction. 

We live in a toxic world. The earth itself has cancer as you look around and see things wilting over, they are not playing dead, they ARE dead. Trees are succumbing, sea life is dying, the air is stagnated and that doesn’t leave the earth much to live on to flourish. I live in a state that thrives on everything farming. Agriculture is their specialty and with the link above about the agriculture basically helping to kill off the land and slowly the people, as you can imagine posting any such thing as that link is met with angry faces.

I have lived here in Nebraska for eight years now and have always enjoyed watching the crop dusters fly overhead after spraying a field. I never gave a second thought to the toxins they were putting on the field and the air that I breathed in daily as the surrounding farms all placed pesticides and other chemicals on the farmland to make their crops successful. And to think all of those chemicals are running right into the water I drink. (or used to drink)

I saw the beauty in everything until this year when met with a deadly diagnosis that opened my eyes to every single thing surrounding me from water, food, and of course the toxic land. The first year here I adored the amount of Crane that blackened the skies to come here as the stopover before they further migrated. The numbers were staggering in the beginning but with each passing year, they’ve dwindled by an impressive number. 

Granted I still seek out the beauty in everything, I now see the farmers out to make a buck at any cost. That is what the world has come to, everyone out to make the almighty dollar never thinking of the repercussions as their blindness grows and the world becomes darker and darker.

I have families here that think GMO’s are not harmful, that forty vaccinations for a small child are not the reason we have an epidemic of autism, ADHD, and other disorders. The people who claim otherwise are all wacky as the government stands firmly behind a toxic world and gives false statistics to keep the farming industry happy.

I lived thirty-seven years in a toxic city, a city that was industrialized. Factories where the breathing smoke stacks filled the air with toxins that were being released to unsuspecting humans. My dad worked at the Bethlehem Steel shipbuilding plant and later acquired mesothelioma from the toxins he breathed in for twenty years at a close range. Although in the beginning he was told no harm would come to him.

I then lived in Dallas, Texas for six years and that place wasn’t as industrialized as Baltimore, it was more commercialized. But this was my first taste of how agriculture worked as the ‘Cowboy’ ranchers raised cattle to slaughter for your eating. Living in the city, the food was already processed so I never really gave a care about where it came from.
Another thing I didn’t know is how the cows were injected with growth hormones and who knows what other stuff they were injected with. Steroids and other toxic ingredients come to mind. These toxins go into the living animal, then the animal gets slaughtered and the meat gets injected once more with chemicals to keep the food fresh on the shelves. The food is wrapped in plastic and more chemicals are surrounding the food to again, keep it fresh on the shelf. 

Here is a link, it is broad and not a specific link because there are political aficionados that will point out ‘That’s not a trusted site’, so I give you a broad range for your search of how millions and millions of dollars of food is wasted as we still have homeless people and a starving nation.

The disease cancer is just like the food industry when you think about it; millions of people are being led to slaughter via chemotherapy. Like cattle, we’re being herded into the gates of oncologists across the nation and any real cure that surfaces from homeopaths and naturopaths is thrown in the trash, or better yet, voices speaking out are killed.

To be fair, I will hand you a link from the blind. Please know, I am not of the gullible blind who read this ‘scientific’ meaning government approved, mumbo jumbo! But please, be fair and read the comments also!

In the above link, THIS is exactly the fear-mongering and disagreement I’m being met with.

Words from the link. “If you swallow snake venom, you'll be fine. But, if you get bit by a snake - you're dead. And, the fact that naturopaths can't understand the difference between these two means that they are not qualified to put a band aid on someone, let alone treat people for the disease.”

But being a governmental force is allowed to put toxic chemicals in my body? In the air? In the water? Approves of toxins in the food we eat? And *I’M* the one in the wrong? I’m also Christian, is the government going to allow me to worship my God? I shutter to think of the future we are headed into.

When people by the millions turn a blind eye to something ie: agriculture, medical practices, ingested toxins, etcetera, we all become sheep being led through the gates to slaughter in record numbers.

There ARE people out there fighting back and you can see it in the force of organic food being placed on the shelves. Someone, many someones, have seen the destruction caused by man and sees the opportunity to heal a nation. Instead of being angry farmers of all that has gone wrong in the toxic dollar, why not make it right to the human race just trying to survive?

Humans are a very gullible species. If it looks good to the eye we buy into what we’re being sold. If it is cheap we grab it for the price. If a doctor tells us we need a drug to stay alive, we believe everything he says, if the government tells you that genetically modified food is not harmful, you agree. Tell it to the billions who have succumbed to a deadly disease or the millions still fighting a deadly disease. Tell THEM that there is nothing wrong with the earth, the waters, its plants and animals, the human race. 

Some people actually woke up! Some are more aware and need to tell others of another route to go by. Some people need to tell you the TRUTH in a field of lies. Those people are not your government. The earth doesn’t lie! It’s speaking directly to you in the wind, the air, the rain, the oceans, fields, streams and forests’, if only you’d wake up and listen. 

Luke 15:14 “And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.”

Poetry Sunday ~ Autumn Trees

Pss. 96:12 “Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice.”

Autumn Trees

Flaming fire of autumn trees

Lights the sky with ample ease

Flowing like a river stream 

Catches on the sunrise beam

The open orange of autumn trees

Catches light on mornings breeze

Drifting down with somber sound

Leaves now whimper on the ground

Amber glow of autumn trees

Whispers sounds of rolling seas

Brilliant hint of heavens door

Hues abound of winters lure

Radiant red on autumn trees

Winter waits with summer tease

Vibrant color mornings gold

Frost unveils the seasons cold

No Net

Pss. 10:9 “He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.”

Think about it. Have you ever seen a trapeze artist walk a thin line attempting to get to the other platform…with NO NET? That’s what having no internet is like, kind of.

You’ll be surfing along that fine line, focusing on your completed task, then WHAM the internet cuts out. WHOA, you try to make some sense of the lack of balance but there is none. You don’t fall to your death I assure you but you do get that feeling of isolation and being cut off from the outside world abruptly.

We live out in the middle of nowhere and we’ve had internet issues for years now. First the wind knocks the dish out of whack, then a tree limb is in the way, then we get a new dish only for it to work temporarily, then we get a new tower but again the trees are blocking the little beam from our dish that needs to connect to the tower. This has been our balancing act for years now.

Then last week with assured confidence the internet guy comes out and tells us that there is a NEW tower we can use to connect. A new dish and a new beam that supposedly cuts through the trees like a lumberjack! Yeah it worked excellently for a day or two, then WHAM, back out again; off and on. He said we were the guinea pigs on the new system so I guess we can assuredly tell HIM that the lumberjack grew tired and left the job, eh?

I’m a writer and my blog and writing is pretty important to me as much as games and YouTube is to my guys! No net, no access to any of these things, so if you see me not blogging for periods at a time, think NET or the lack thereof. 

We also have NetFlix so you can imagine the irritation when right in the middle of a movie, the internet waves bye bye! Or worse yet, when 10 minutes are remaining and the climax is unraveling then POOF…no movie!

We don’t have many luxuries like a telephone with internet, heck we don’t even have texting available on our phones! We have the internet, that is a luxury to us because we PAY for it every month! We don’t have the luxury of pilfering/stealing/borrowing our neighbor’s wifi because as you can guess, they don’t even have internet! NetfFlix was our New Years splurge and I’m wondering if and when we’ll have good enough access to actually use the luxury on a daily basis.

Assuming everyone knew of my net woes, I excitedly posted on facebook “The net guy is here!” Well, to someONE who don’t pay attention to my wall or my posts, they thought for sure the whitecoats were coming out here with a net to get me and I maniacally went running around the yard screaming as I flee from them with their net. How funny. NOT! Although I’ll probably need them if we don’t get this internet fixed soon!

Don’t get me wrong, the net does work sometimes, I should say when it is good it is really good but when it is bad, it is really really bad! And so it goes, life without a net is not a good idea, just as walking without God is not a good idea. Good thing we have unlimited access to HIM, free of charge, without interruption! Funny thing is, with no internet, the closer I feel to God… hmm, now there’s a concept for ya.

Okay, gotta run…my garden is calling me.

Pss. 25:15 “Mine eyes are ever toward the LORD; for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.”

The Days Without Internet

Pss. 55:8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest.

The Days Without...

Well, my internet has been out three going on four days now. It went out late Saturday night during the storm. Storm? What storm? First…

Saturday we went to his nephews wedding. It was an odd wedding like none I’ve ever been to. The bride/groom wore white tip tennis shoes. You know like the Converse high-tops only they weren’t high tops? The invitation never stated ‘informal wedding’ so I wore my ankle length dress and sandals. It’s in style and can be worn as formal or informal so I felt I looked nice. Everyone else looked nice too except for the two or three that wore almost butt baring short mini-skirts with white tip tennis shoes mind you.

The very short ceremony was held at a reception hall, by I do believe, a female justice of the peace. A wedding/reception if you will. The vows took about ten minutes and poof the bride, groom and bridal party left afterward. The sign said they’d be back at six. They all had left to get pictures taken and went over to a park a few miles down the road.

So it was about 3:30 when they left and they’d return at six! Before the ceremony and after the ceremony we were treated to very loud rock music by the likes of AC/DC, Kiss, some Reo Speedwagon and such. You get the picture. The bride’s family were bikers and the groom’s side of the family are of the Baptist nature. While I did grow up on that type of music and it was all too familiar to me, it was interesting though, watching his aunt endure the noise.

The groom’s mom and dad aren’t church goers so they seemed to enjoy or at least bear with the whole kit and kaboodle. We had to sit and wait the two and a half hours close to three, smelling the food cooking in the background. We were all starving so that didn’t help. I’d go outside and look around at the scorching parking lot and feel the brisk winds to let myself know I was still here on the planet earth. A few had gathered outside where they had booze in the trunks of their car. One man who was already feeling his liquor commented on my skirt blowing up and I just smiled. How sweet. (not)

By this time my stomach was cramping so bad from eating Reese’s cups that were on the table; the only thing to eat while waiting. The bridal party had finally returned! We had to wait another twenty minutes while they all got to the food first. Then it was our turn to stand in line, and finally, food! Spare ribs and chicken and some delicious salads, which is all I ate. I didn’t touch the ribs or chicken.

I did like the party favors though, little Converse high-top tennis shoes in every color of the rainbow. I took three, sue me, I was bored. I was asked more times than once when WE (Steven and I) were taking the plunge. After eleven years, no proposal and witnessing THIS wedding? I NEVER want to marry again! Seriously! While I love the kids, the sanctity of marriage is a little more than… oh never mind.

By eight o’clock we were more than ready to go home. As we approached the road home, we could see the sky blackened and lightning off in the distance, probably nearing our house. As we got closer and closer to the house the winds had picked up and drops of rain the size of my hand had begun falling. I was feeling uneasy.

We pulled up to the door, parked pretty close to the steps, and we proceeded to go in the house. By the time Adam put his foot in the door (Adam was the last one in) hail began to pummel the house. It beat for far too long for me and we began worrying about his mother and sister and them driving home right into this stuff.

Can I ask something? Why do people have cell phones if they’re going to leave them off and let voicemail pick up? What’s the point?

We were assessing the damage caused by the golf ball sized hail when his sister called. They made it home only to witness her daughters car get whopped by a baseball size hailstone and bust out the rear window of her car. They couldn’t stand around looking because the hail just kept coming. They all made it home safe.

Well now, that’s exciting for a day isn’t it? Well that wasn’t it…

About two hours passed and we went to bed while lightning like a strobe-light lit up the sky! We knew we were in for a big one because my Weatherbug said so. Now I go out quick and rest for a good eight hours before I wake but by 11:30 I was jilted awake by thunder, lightning and WIND. High winds! High enough for me to be scared outta my wits! With computers off, I relied on my emergency radio.

Once on, we listened as tornado warnings were all around us. The winds howled, the house shook, water came in wherever there was a crack, I saw a small branch that looked like a tree fly by the window, leaves were being tossed around like a windy fall day. Me? I prayed.

I went and sat on the sofa clutching my bible in my hands and continued to pray as the roaring wind went on and on all around me. Tick tock there goes the clock, anticipation as I could hear the wind slowing it’s pace and the thunder rolling away from us.

I remembered my last words to my friend on facebook before the second storm hit, “I’m protected.” I had signed off with a goodnight and God Bless and that was the last I saw of the internet.

Sunday I awoke still cramped. (I never eat chocolate so I guess my stomach knew I had ate something foreign to my system.) The sun had not yet risen but there was enough morning light for me to see. My back lawn was covered in leaves and branches, not big branches but heavy enough to have to put in our wagon to move. My neighbor’s house had a big branch lying across the roof, where it had damaged a portion of her chimney.

I turned on my computer, not surprising, no internet. Still reeling in pain, I couldn’t even THINK of going to church. Oh I thought of God and I sang soft praises and thanked Him for protecting me. I knew He would and after hearing of all the devastation with downed power lines and silo’s toppled, farm crops shredded to pieces, I knew I was protected from something bigger that had gone on out there.

The days without internet. The guys of the house are antsy although they won’t admit it. Adam read an actual book. Steven played his computer game but not without calling the service provider first who told us they’d send someone out by Wednesday, he checked the modem once or twice too. Me? I’m relishing the time without it! I’ve tended my ripped apart garden, de-weeded in spots, I’ve played chess and solitaire, cooked a nice meal and just enjoyed the quiet relaxing pace of life with no net! Brought back a lot of memories of my life BEFORE the internet came into my life.

Poetry Sunday ~ Orb of the Night

Job 31:26 If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;

Orb of  the Night
(c) Joni Zipp
***
The moon is full this quiet night
lending the snow a glistening light.
Trees stretch out their arms in praise
shadows dance in the moonlight haze.

Quivering branches lend a clutter
to all the snow-capped fields aflutter
The orb shines down in wedded bliss
to the ground it gives a kiss.

Stars they’re hiding from the glow
of the moons showering show.
Animals tucked safely in homes
sound asleep while moon glow roams.

I raise my voice the echo sounds
off the billowy cotton grounds.
Inner cry for welcome release
into His hands I find my peace. 

All rights reserved: copyright © Joni  Zipp


Pss. 136:9 The moon and stars to rule by night: for his mercy endureth for ever.

Off Topic...life

Prov. 14:13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness.
***

Today I’m going to go a little off topic. I mean after the exhausting week last week, I think my blog needs a break from all this writing biz. Sometimes it’s a welcome relief and I know you, my reader, you all like to see what’s happening in my life every now and again. Which not only makes me feel good, but it also makes me feel loved.

I never realized how depressing the holiday’s could be. I mean, in years past, living in Texas, I was down around the holidays because I missed my family back in Baltimore. I’ve been away almost eight years and only got back home once to see my mother and father. It’s around the holidays I miss them most. Not just Thanksgiving and Christmas, but holidays in general.

Back before I gave up my old life, my family was my life. Mother, father, sister, brothers, my son, hubby, nieces and nephews. The seasons of love, sharing and caring were all shared as a family. Sure I have a dysfunctional family but they are mine, and I loved the holidays with them.

Six years of loneliness and healing in Texas’ grand warmth, I started to get used to being alone and possibly never seeing my family again. My niece and sister came to visit me in Texas once, and beaus mom visited a couple times along with his aunt and uncle. But again, the holidays were just us three in our tank tops, putting up the tree, eating turkey and celebrating being alive. We did make a few trips to Nebraska in that interim.

My how much life has changed in two years. Beau went blind and life took on a whole new meaning. We both went through transitions of healing our hearts and souls and even Adam had his set of adjustments. Money commenced, warmth of the Texas heat was left behind, replaced by snow and wind and a life out in the middle of nowhere, except there was a difference here in Nebraska; family.

The holidays have a new shape to them now, spent among family, sharing the joy and laughter, but something is missing. As Adam (who did all the work) and I put our Christmas tree up this weekend, and beau sat on the sidelines moping, I realized life has changed all around for all of us.  Although we have his family surrounding us and special times are being had and memories are being wrapped in our hearts, we are still three people, in search of something we know we may never find.

Adam is off at school, I sit here writing and beau is absorbed in audiobooks and listening to movies. The holidays are upon us and it can be quite depressing. All I do know now is that I have the love of God in my heart and his plan is in action, and we all move with the fluctuation of the life energy that sustains us.

Ecc.7:3 Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

Poetry Sunday ~ Autumn

Ecc. 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

*** 

Autumn
***
The leaves are falling,
the chill is here
once again
that time of year.

As flowers fade
and jack frost looms
fragrance smolders
the ants build rooms.

The grass it dims
oh sacred tree
drop your shelter
down on me.

Time to vacate
and go inside
the world is cold
too oft it died.

I will pray
my jobs not done.
I run the gamut
of a life I’ve won.

Never fear and
always trust.
My God is good
He molded dust!