Summer Lovin'

My 85 year-old Grandma Marianne came to Louisville recently to meet Ms. June Apple. Grandma Marianne is an awesome lady. She taught me about the important things in life, like fondue and seeting charts. i definitely gleaned my love of entertaining from her. I mean she makes homemade fortune cookies with personalized fortunes in each one, for God's sake!

It was so awesome to have both my mom and my grandma here, 4 generations under one roof. Of course, June Apple was her normal charming self. We had a great weekend, making zuchinni bread, going to the Douglass Loop farmer's market, and eating breakfast at North End Cafe and, even more deliciously, 732 Social. If any of you in Louisville, RUN, don't walk to 732 Social. The best meal I've had in a long, long, time. I first went there for my 30th birthday at the end of May. Holy Smokes. The cocktails. The locally sourced, seasonally based menu. The friendly chef/owner who comes out and thanks me for bringing June Apple. For him, he encourages children at the restuarant as part of his sustainability mission. Okay, I'll support that, especially in a town where some of the restaurants which cater to the local foodie culture seem to take themselves too seriously and I think June Apple might just cramp their style. Some of my favorite dishes include macaroni and cheese and roasted brussel sprouts with candied walnuts. Mmmmm....I'm salivating just thinking about it. If you ever want to go and need someone to go with, you know who to call!

The Douglass Loop farmer's market is hands down the best market that I have been to here in Louisville. There's plenty of great vendors with room to hang out, live music, several yummy food trucks and Lucy Anne. Lucy Anne is 7 years old. She is one of June's biggest fans. She and her sister Martha Rose come with their family to sell fresh beef, eggs and buffalo skulls. Lucy Anne gets up at 3 in the morning on Saturdays so she has time to do her chores before they leave for Louisville at 5am. Her mother braids her hair in two pigtails in the night before. She loves June Apple and makes goo goo eyes at her and scrunches up her nose to try and make her laugh. She reminds me of myself when I was little. Babies were like magnets for me. Lucy Anne really wanted to hold June and I was more than willing to encoruage a baby obsession. Of course, my grandma almost dieD of a heart attack when Lucy Anne began throwing June Apple up in the air (much to June's delight). I was cool as a cucumber about it all, when she was jostling her, while standing on the grass. I mean, the girl is only 4 feet tall, how far would June really fall? Grandma was gripping my arm and freaking out, while I said to her under my breath, "Its okay, she's okay, she's not going to drop her." I'm trying, you see, not to be one of those over-reactive parents that doesn't let their kid come within 500 yards of a potential choking hazard. But then Lucy Anne took her jostling to the concrete. Okay, Lucy Anne, every parent, even one as cool and laid back as me has her breaking point. I rescued June and mumbled some excuse to a bewildered Lucy Anne, that it was time for June's lunch. Hours later, while I lay with June for our afternoon snooze, I thought about what a terrible mother I was, risking June's life like that. How could I have been so careless?! I let Lucy Anne's cute little scrunched up nose and darling braids lead me down the path of negligent parent temptation. NEVER again, I said. Until next time.