The Jellyfish That’s Not 03/11/21

Johnathan Dickinson State Park, Hobe Sound, Florida

Then Abraham approached Him and said, “Will You sweep away the righteous with the wicked?  What if there are fifty righteous people in the city?  Will You really sweep it away and not spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous people in it?  Far be it from You to do such a thing – to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike.  Far be it from You!  Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?” ~ Genesis 18:23-25        Yesterday’s and today’s readings show us that Abraham was considered God’s friend (Isaiah 41:8, James 2:23), and was treated as such.  How?  Because God shared His plan for Sodom and Gomorrah with him, because He told Abraham he was chosen, because he was allowed to intercede on behalf of Sodom (and his nephew, Lot) in God’s presence.  How bold Abraham was!  This is also an indication of the close relationship Abraham shares with God.  I wonder if his boldness in speaking like this to the Creator of the universe made God smile a bit?

I was able to sit outside on the nice patio Blaine set up for me!  Love it!  The weather is perfect – 70 in the morning with a slight breeze, the palm trees whispering, the nature . . .

Before I’d even begun my devotion/prayer time, I’d witnessed two mockingbirds in a ritual dance (mating dance?), a bunny eating breakfast, and a grackle who came down from a tree and walked through the site.  We think that grackles are just black birds, but let me tell you what; when that bird walked into the sunlight, he glistened bright emerald green, sapphire blue, and violet!  God is soooo good to give us these things, and eyes to see them with!

Blaine’s sister, Sandy and her husband Eric are working today, so we weren’t able to see them until late this afternoon.

To entertain ourselves, it was a perfect day to visit Blowing Rocks Preserve!  Such a spectacular day!  It became quite breezy (or should I say windy?) so the Atlantic was rolling.  So much beauty everywhere you look! 

In addition to walking the beach, admiring the white-topped blue-green water, we noticed these spectacular rainbow-colored jellyfish laying along the beach! 

We stopped at one, and it was still moving, so I carefully picked it up and tossed it toward the water in a bold attempt to try to save it.  I carefully picked it up, so as to avoid the stringy tenacles.  After all, I may be dumb, but I’m not stupid. . .  It was very slippery and heavier than I thought, so it didn’t go far.  On the third attempt, I did it!  Dropped it right into the water so it could be free!

And then a wave immediately washed it back up on shore, dropping it back where we started, so I had to concede defeat.  ☹

It wasn’t until later that we learned it was a Portuguese Man O-’War!  YIKES-abee! 

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Here’s what the internet has to say about them:

The Portuguese Man O’War (Physalia physalis) is absolutely alien-looking. With its bulbous top, dangling tentacles and iridescent coloring, this unusual invertebrate will make anyone do a double-take. But what is it, exactly? Read on for five facts about the Portuguese Man O’War.

Portuguese Man O’Wars may resemble jellyfish because of their “bell” and tentacles, but they’re actually completely different. Man O’Wars are siphonophores, which are a type of hydrozoan comprised of many animals living together in a colony. Although both jellyfish and the Man O’War are part of the phylum Cnidaria, true jellyfish are in the class Scyphozoa, while Man O’Wars are in class Hydrozoa.

Each Portuguese Man O’War is comprised of genetically-identical individuals called zooids. Just like a coral head looks like one animal but is made up of many polyps, a Portuguese Man O’War looks like one organism but is made of many zooids. Zooids can perform different tasks depending on the needs of the organism. Parts of the animals include the pneumatophore, which is filled with gas and floats on the ocean surface; the gonozooids and gastrozooids, which are used for reproduction and digestion; and the dactylozooids, which are used for hunting and capturing prey.

Portuguese Man O’War tentacles can stretch 165 feet below the surface—that is almost as long as the Leaning Tower of Pisa is tall! Not all Man of War’s have such impressive appendages, though. The average tentacle length is about 30 feet.

The Portuguese Man O’War’s inflated pneumatophore resembles the sail of a 18th-century Portuguese warship, which is where it got its unique name! The pneumatophore is typically a distinctive blue or purple color and can float half a foot above the ocean surface.

Portuguese Man O’Wars have a nematocysts, or stinging cells, in their tentacles, which they use to stun and capture their prey. Unfortunately, they can also sting humans, even if the animal is dead or the tentacles are no longer attached. The venom is very painful to humans, and can result in skin welts or even an allergy-like response. If you see a Portuguese Man O’War, admire from afar and do NOT touch! If you are stung, pay close attention to your symptoms and seek medical attention if needed.  ~ oceanconservancy.org

Good thing my guardian angels work overtime!  (insert bulging eyed emoji here…)

And then Sandy texted that she was home, and off we went!  Her house is roughly a 10-minute drive from the Park we’re staying at.  Hugs all around, and more when Eric came home!

She made Rueben’s for dinner, which were excellent!  And I brought along chocolate-orange cookies for dessert and crack to leave at their place, for whenever anyone wanted a taste of something sweet.  I know I’ve shared these recipes before, but I’ll share them again, in case you missed them.  They’re at the end of this post.

One last thing, before we sign off for a while . . . .

That “Terro” stinkbug spray works great!  We’re still seeing one or two a day, but they’re dwindling fast!  Hip-hip-horray!!!!!!

We are spending the next 11 days here, and most likely all but two days will be spent with Sandy and Eric and their family.  There will be a lot of talking, laughing, and of course good food!  It’s the 16^th as I write this and I can tell you, I’ve no time for blogging, so I’m taking two weeks off.  Check back with me after the 23^rd and we’ll get back on track with Abraham’s story (sorry to keep you in suspense 😊), and also share pictures from our time here.  See you soon!

RUEBENS

1 loaf Beefsteak Rye bread, or other good quality rye

1 ½ pounds corned beef or turkey, good quality

6-8 slices Swiss cheese, good quality

1 large jar Vlasic sauerkraut

Wishbone Thousand Island dressing

Butter, softened

Heat a griddle to medium heat.  Butter outsides of the bread to make 6 sandwiches.  Divide the beef or turkey into equal amounts.  Drain and squeeze as much juice as possible out of the sauerkraut.  Divide into equal amounts.

To assemble the sandwich, place one slice of bread on the griddle butter-side down.  Arrange the meat to cover the bread, add kraut, then dressing (about 2-3 Tablespoons??), then cheese.  Top with the other slice of bread, butter-side up.

Repeat with each sandwich.  Grill until golden brown on both sides and cheese is melted.

HINT:  If you want the best tasting sandwiches, it’s vital that you use the best ingredients.  If you try to cut back and use less expensive ones, it won’t be as good.  Trust me.

VALENCIA DELIGHTS

 ¾ C. butter

1 C. sugar

1 egg

1 t. baking powder

1 t. vanilla                                                        

¾ t. salt

2 C. flour

2 T. orange peel  (2 large oranges)

¼ – 1/3 C. sugar for coating

GLAZE:

1 C. semisweet chocolate chips

¼ C. butter

3 T. light Kayro syrup

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Beat butter for 30 seconds with an electric mixer.  Add sugar.  Beat until combined.  Add egg, baking powder, vanilla & salt. 

Beat in as much flour as you can.  Stir in the remaining flour and orange peel.

Shape dough into 1” balls. Roll in sugar to coat.  Place 2” apart on parchment paper OR ungreased cookie sheet.  Flatten to ¼” thickness with the bottom of a glass.

Bake for 6-8 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack.  Cool completely.

Prepare the glaze. Dip each cookie halfway into the glaze. Place on a baking sheet lined with wax paper.  Chill 15 minutes or until chocolate is set. To store, layer between sheets of wax paper in airtight container.

Makes approximately 4 dz. Cookies

CRACK

Candy-making white chocolate (WalMart brand is good)

1 C. regular salted peanuts

1 C. plain M&Ms

½ C. craisins

Melt the white chocolate.  Quickly stir in the peanuts, M&Ms and craisins.  Mix well.  Quickly pour into a jelly roll pan and spread out as evenly as possible.  Place in the refrigerator to firm up, then break into bite-sized pieces.  Store in plastic bags.