The weather has been really crazy lately and this has me thinking about spring seasons that have come before. Traditionally we believe that spring should be slightly warmer than the bitter cold months of winter. We are ok with rain because we know its the rain that will usher in the beautiful colors of summer. One thing we generally don't appreciate in the spring is more snow. By the time April rolls around here in the Midwest we've about had as much snow and sleet and cold that we can take. We've had enough of the gloom and humdrum of gray winter days and are ready for the sun to shine and brighten our moods. One of my favorite moments in spring is the first day I can open up the windows and let the fresh spring air breeze through the house. The smell of fresh crisp air always puts me in a good mood. My cats love it too. When they see me reaching for the crank and start to open the windows wide they get very excited and rush over to the nearest window and shove their little cat faces into the screens. They will sit in the sills for hours on end just bathing in the light freshness of the outdoors. They never get to go outside so this is a nice treat for them.
This spring has been a rash of up and down weather which has been more of a tease than a treat. One day it's in the sixties and the sun is shining and the next it's in the thirties and snowing. I'm not sure what this means as far as Mother Nature is concerned, but for us mere mortals it is quite frustrating. Here we are on the doorstep of May and its still too cold to open the windows. Just last week my friends in Michigan told me it was snowing again! Thankfully here in Indiana we did not have to endure yet another cold brush with the white stuff, but it has not been very warm either. It doesn't surprise me a whole lot that the weather has been so unpredictable this year, it's not the first time in my life that the weather in April has been crazy and I'm sure it won't be the last.
This weather makes me think of something else though, it reminds me of my wedding day six years ago. We had decided to get married on our "dating" anniversary in April (probably so my Husband wouldn't have to try and remember a different anniversary date, he had this one already committed to memory so why confuse the poor man?). Because we are originally from the Midwest and are all too familiar with how fickle the spring can be we decided that our wedding should be indoors just in case. I was a little bummed to make this determination because I had initially wanted our wedding either at the Butterfly House at the Detroit Zoo or the Conservatory on Bel Isle, but rational thinking got the better of me and we decided the wedding should be held inside, so we settled on the Church I grew up in and the Pub that had become our second home due to my Husband's other job as a musician.
The morning of our wedding started out fair enough, there didn't appear to be any major warnings of bad weather headed our way but by the time the ceremony started so had the sleet, snow and high velocity bitter cold winds. Just our luck. So while I do find it completely annoying for this coldness to hang on for so long, it does not surprise me in the slightest.
Speaking of weddings, my six/eleven year anniversary is this Sunday. We've been together for eleven years and married for six. It didn't happen until recently that we developed a true annual anniversary celebration. Something that we can do every year and enjoy thoroughly. We aren't the typical traditional kind of couple, which is probably one of the reasons we get along so famously; we like our relationship like our lives - slighly off center. This does not mean that we never celebrate our relationship and it's history, we certainly do but it has never been the same thing from year to year. Three years ago we discovered this wonderful little fish market called Paula's here in town and have decided we will celebrate our anniversary there from now on. Before Paula's we had done the basic dinner at home, date night out, cards and gifts etc. Nothing too terribly exciting. Paula's is the kind of place you have to plan ahead for, its a bit pricey - ok it's a lot pricey, definitely the kind of place we can only enjoy once a year. This only makes it all the more exciting when it's time to make our reservation. For the past week my taste buds have been tingling in anticipation of what wonderful dish will be their delight in only a few short days.
One of my favorite things about Paula's is the interior decor. Nothing matches. The tables are all made of various types of wood or wrought iron, the chairs vary from plastic to wood to wrought iron. The placewear is all different styles and colors. On the walls you'll find everything from local artist paintings to garage sale sculptures. The whole place is a mish mash of whatever the owner could bring in locally. I'm sure some ritzy foody would disagree with me here, but personally I find the mix of color and texture very pleasant. It only makes the atmosphere that much more charming. And even though we have to save our pennies to afford dinner we can still wear jeans and feel totally at ease in our seats. No jacket or tie required.
What you end up paying for is the food instead of the silverware, which is the way it should be. Another clever thing about Paula's is the fact that it truly is a Fish Market. The entrance to the restaurant is actually a small foyer with a glass case filled with the days freshest selections of seafood. They run a small storefront there with all the hollering of prices and cuts just like something out of the movies. So what you see in the market is what you will be enjoying on your plate later during your meal.
Now, I've never been a big seafood eater and I have a couple of reasons why, the first is that I have always had an affinity towards the sea. Anything to do with the Ocean and it's inhabitants have facinated me my whole life. When I was younger I used to fancy the idea I would one day be a Marine Biologist. I love sea creatures. They are quirky and strange and fun to watch and explore. I always thought that they held some kind of secret that I longed to hear. The thought of eating one of these creatures turned my stomach. Is there a term for that? Think of a vegetarian but for seafood. I am not now nor will I ever be a vegetarian in the traditional sense of the word, I am from the Midwest so I'm perfectly comfortable eating meat and fully understand how the steak made it to my plate. For some reason I don't feel the same way about Cows as I do about the Salmon.
The second reason is that when I was younger my Mom had the brilliant idea to cook Shark. For what reason I have no idea, I was too small to remember any of the details surrounding this dinner decision but what I do remember is the smell. That horrid, putrid fishy smell of the shark cooking in our kitchen, it overwhelmed the entire house. Ever since then I've had an aversion to anything seafood. Over the years I've tried several different types of seafood including but not limited to; Red Snapper, Shrimp (I cannot, I say cannot handle the peal and eat kind!), Crab (and crab cakes), Lobster, Salmon and Talapia. The latter two being the only that I cared for in the slightest and also the only two that I eat with any degree of regularity. I know you health nuts out there are going to harp on me for not eating more fish but I just don't care for it. Over the past eleven years my husband has slowly but surely been introducing me to various different types of seafood so my fish eating has gotten more regular. He loves seafood and can't quite understand why I don't enjoy it as much as he does. He has made it his mission in life to get me to try and eat more fish and pressuring me into saying that I actually like it. I have finally conceded the fact that Talapia and Salmon are mild enough that I do enjoy them (with enough seasoning) that they are now a part of our regular weekly rotation of dinner meals.
I have no doubt however that when we order our meals at Paula's my husband will order the Surf and Turf and I will order the Turf (thankfully they have a small variety of land animals to choose from), I will probably have a couple bites of his Lobster (sold at "market price" yikes!) to appease his need for me to expand my tastebuds, but I can't bring myself to order a whole meal of seafood. I am also looking forward to the appetizer and salad I will be having on Sunday. They make this fried Boursin cheese dish with raspberry drizzle over croutons that is simply delectable. The Ceasar salad is wonderful as well, the dressing is rather mild in comparison to other restaurants and they don't drown the lettuce in the dressing either which I appreciate. On the whole, a meal at Paula's will run us quite a few duckets but it is worth every penny and so worth the wait.
The weather report says it will be cold and rainy for our anniversary this year, which is appropriate since it was sleeting on our wedding day, nothing like keeping with the tradition. Regardless of what the weather does I know that we will enjoy ourselves and eat like Kings and Queens on our special day.
Happy belated anniversary wishes :)
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