Sky Was Yellow, And The Sun Was Blue

Well there ain’t nothin’ wrong with the way she moves,
All scarlet begonias or a touch of the blues…

Scarlet Begonias-Grateful Dead…

Just showing the love, today, to all things Jerry Garcia, as we roll into the last days, of the Days Between. The sweet sad days between his birthday of August 1 until his death on August 9…each and every year, since he left us, I pay tribute, so today, this is my song for you…

And, it’s my reminder that the market will be closing for the week, at 8am…get your moves on, and your orders in…

XOXO

Get Groovy!

Hey all of you groovy groovsters, customers of the market…

If you have not yet ordered for the week, you still have until tomorrow at 8am to do so!

The market is in full swing, even with the excitement of the fair!! We don’t want you to miss out on all of the fun, or be sad, on Thursday, when you realize that you forgot to place your orders!!

Groove it out with the market groove line…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Another Week!

Happy Fair Week!!

We know it’s a busy week, but we are here for your local needs!!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

It's A New Way!

Just a reminder that it is market order pick up, today, from 4:30-6:00pm!!

And…that also is a reminder that the pick up will be just a tad different!! You will find your customer name, on the printed order form, with your order items!! Also, go to the fridge, and/or freezer, to collect any of those items.

Then, proceed to the desk, to pay Kim for your market orders!

Simple…and we love you for it!!!

AND…Kim will also have a limited supply of her dog treats for SALE!! Bring a little extra cash, and give your pup some LOVE…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Reminder!

It’s Wednesday morning, and we close the market in one hour!!

I know that so many of you are busy getting ready for the fair, but if you are not, and have a few minutes, why not throw us your weekly orders? We will love you for it!

XOXO,

Cosmic Pam

Rainy Days and Mondays...

But…don’t let it get you down…

Instead, use the bit of gloomy, drizzling downtime to place your market orders!!

We love to put the sunshine into your week, and today, I think we could use those sunshine vibes…

Go ahead…you know the week ahead of you is going to be a crazy one. Maybe you are getting ready for the Champaign County Fair, maybe you are coming and going from vacation, or maybe you are just crazy busy with the summer days…let us make your life a bit easier!!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Evergreen

Morning glory and midnight sun…
(Love theme from A Star Is Born-Barbra Streisand)

I am sure you are wondering where I am going with this sappy love song. But, it’s a classic, I’m in a contemplative mood, and over last weekend, when we were all in line, waiting to get into the amphitheater, to see our 80s groups, there was a billboard for the remake of this movie.

I literally stopped in my tracks. I remember the release of this movie. I remember being too young, according to my mother, to see the movie. But, I did get the album, actually, I think I lifted it from a older sibling of one of my friends.

I loved it, and knew every song from the movie. And, so, tonight, this song popped into my head, remembering seeing the movie poster, the other night.

This song stays with me, tonight, with some of the lyrics…

Ageless and ever (ever, ever)
Evergreen (evergreen)…

Describing my feelings, tonight, of many things, but where you all are concerned…my feelings for the market.

As you all know, I have been both your behind the scenes, AND, on site market manager for many, many years. I love you, I love the market, and I love the concept, still!! And, I love coming to you, via my silly little ramblings, through this weblog.

My hopes have always been to tie the weblog to music, to my love of all things that bring passion to my life. And, this market, is super up there, top of the list.

But, I have needed a change, and tonight, spoke with Paul, of the YMCA, about letting me step away from my on site duties, but allowing me to continue to run it, as always, from behind the scenes, with this weblog, and the general tasks, on the media end of things.

What I did ask to change was my on site duty, my every Thursday at the market site. I have found myself needing to be a bit more free, a bit more dedicated to other avenues of my businesses, and not Thursday evenings.

So, after seven years, your market manager remains your manager, but the market pick up will change, just a tiny bit.

You, the customer, will still come to the YMCA, still enter into the market location, still pay your market bill at the front desk, to Kim, but instead of yours truly, or your assistant manager, Mark, being there, Kim will have your orders ready to go, and after paying, you will then go and locate your name/order, and take it with you!! Nothing really changes, except you, seeing me, each week.

I remain as your manager, behind the scenes, I remain as a market vendor, but we are shaking things up, and letting me be free…

Spirits rise and their dance is unrehearsed…this makes me happy, it gives me freedom to do what I do, and it still allows me to be at the helm, passionate about this market, passionate about you…

So, with this, I will open the market for the week!!

FYI…if you ordered from Dugan Road Creamery, this week, your orders will all be delivered, tomorrow, to the YMCA. You may pick them up from the fridge, in the market area!!

More FYI…vendors…look for an email from me, tomorrow, concerning the small changes that will happen at drop off, beginning next Thursday!!

And…to all of us…all of us that are stars, including this market…

Ageless and ever (ever, ever)
Evergreen (evergreen)…

Let’s continue to help this market continue, and grow, and bloom in love…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam

Roam

Roam if you want to
Roam around the world
Roam if you want to
Without wings, without wheels
Roam if you want to
Roam around the world
Roam if you want to
Without anything but the love we feel…
(Roam-B52s)

Soooooo, your market manager is back from the most perfect lake vacation with her high school pals. This vacation is now a summer tradition. A coming together of our group from both near and far. We had sun, we had fun, we had loads and loads of wine, and moonlight dinners that we prepared, together, and coffee mornings with breakfast that we all prepared, drifting into mimosa mornings, drifting into mojito mornings, and glittering away the days, basking in us, the paths we’ve chosen, the old days, the now days, the people we were, the people we are…all of us, having roamed the world, in one way or another.

On Saturday night, we headed off the lake, all dressed for a night of fun, in Charlotte, to see a trio of 80s groups.

The Thompson Twins, B52s, Boy George with Culture Club. We were decked out in 80s-esque outfits, joining the ranks with all of our peers, also past club kids from that very special decade…the 80s.

When the B52s played the song that I have chosen for today’s weblog, I danced, and remembered that when this song was released, I had already been through high school, college, California, New York, Dallas, and had just started my life in Raleigh. The album, Cosmic Thing, had released, and this was one of my favorite songs from that album.

So, when they played the song, on Saturday night, under the glittering moonlight, I couldn’t help but think how appropriately it summed up the vacation, our friendships, our lives…all the roaming, all the years, only to roam right back to each other…

And, this market is such a part of that roaming theme. We have roamed through many years, together, and here we are…still a market, still with orders, still with customers who all roam, in and out…

Today is Wednesday, we close the market at 8am, this morning, and I would love it if you felt compelled to roam around to us, and shine some glittering dance floor lights, at us, as your toss us your orders…

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam
(the original Cosmic Thing)

Way Down Yonder In The Paw Paw Patch

And…today’s word is brought to you by our own Marc and Shary Stadler of Valley View Woodlands!!

Exciting news!!

Shary and I want to let our fellow market members know that we have listed pawpaw trees for sale. Members may recall that on our farm, Valley View Woodlands, we are developing a pawpaw orchard (or “patch” as we like to say). Last fall we had our first harvest of fruit which we listed for sale on this market. We are excited to give members a chance now to grow their own pawpaw fruit. Known as America’s forgotten fruit, this unique tree is native to our region, and produces delicious tropical-flavored fruit that is often described as banana-mango flavor. We call it tropical crème brulee! The trees are also beautiful in the landscape with their long, dark green tropical leaves.
Pawpaws are like apples—there are many different grafted varieties. They are selected for size and taste. An ungrafted tree (a seedling) will produce fruit, but like apples the fruit will not be identical to its parents’. That is why we graft. A grafted tree produces fruit that is known to be delicious. The ungrafted seedling is an unknown. The fruit may be delicious, but it may not be as good as its grafted parents’. Grafted trees also begin bearing fruit at a younger age, usually within three to five years. With a seedling you will probably wait two or three more years.
We are offering on the market both selected grafted varieties and seedlings. Seedlings require less labor to produce so their price is lower. You will find descriptions for the grafted varieties in the listings. The trees are in 14” tall pots and are ready to plant now. Once they are planted they are very hardy in our zone, but trees in pots are vulnerable to winter kill.
Pawpaws require cross-pollination with another variety of pawpaw nearby to produce fruit, so you will need at least two trees. A seedling can act as a pollenizer to another seedling or any grafted tree; however the later flowering seedling may delay fruiting of the grafted tree. For full production, plant them in full sun in well-drained soil. They will do well in a wide variety of soils, including hill-top clay (our own patch is on a hill-top).
Currently we have a limited number of grafted trees, but more will be available soon. We recently took some to a meeting of the North American Pawpaw growers association and sold out.
“He who plants a tree plants a hope.” –Lucy Larcom
And those who plant pawpaw trees will reap a delicious harvest!
Marc and Shary Stadler

Back In Action!

Good Morning, little local market of love customers!

We are back, live, ready to take your orders!!

Your market manager is packed, and ready to hit the road on her vacation with the gang of 1982, who knew me when!!

We hope that you enjoyed the past week, and hope to see you, next Thursday, at market pick up!! You have until Wednesday morning to get your orders in!

XOXO,
Cosmic Pam