Since You Been Gone

Since you been gone, since you been gone…
I’m outta my head, can’t take it…
Could I be wrong? But since you been gone…
(Rainbow – Since You’ve Been Gone)

So, this song…you couldn’t have been kicking around in the late 70s without having blasted this song, singing at the top of your lungs, cruising around in super cool cars.

If you read my Weblogs, are friends with me on Social Media pages, are fans of my business page, you know I have bonds that run super deep to my growing up in the West End of my hometown, you know my bonds are still super close to my West End pals, and you know that we ran wild back in those days.

I remember parents leaving on vacation, leaving teens with food, beverages, money, and a car…while they were out of town. Okay, it was the 70s, we lived in a sheltered neighborhood, and, well, who cared…we were teens! Home alone! I’m sorry that we weren’t sorry for our parents leaving all of us…it was the best of times.

One of my best memories was of parents leaving, my best pals all assembling the obligatory house party, my guy pals hauling enormous speakers out on the roof of the house, tunes blaring, cars lining up, party in session. This song…this reminds me of one such afternoon.

Back then, we had no idea we were making these memories…we just liked to have fun. I have been reflecting, a lot, back to those years. The places, the times, the people…some of the best in my life. The West End will always have so much of my heart, my pals, so much of my soul. I believe in true friendships, I believe in history of friends, I believe that where you came from makes you the person you become in adulthood.

This is one of the reasons that I love our little local market of love. I feel strongly in the bonds, the customers, the products, and did I say…the customers??

Our customers…the weekly loyals, the monthly loyals, the every couple of months, the once a year customers…all of you…we love you, we want you ALL part of this market, and if we don’t see you for a while, we wonder about you, we care about you, we love you, and we start to get blue….

Because, Since You Been Gone…we just can’t take it!

The market is now open the week!! Make us happy…all of you…throw us an order…let us know you still think about us…we look forward to seeing all of you, next week, at order pick up!

And…why not…you won’t want to miss The Swisher Hill Herb Tasting, on that night!!

C’mon…since you’ve been gone…we’ve missed you!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Show Us The Love!

Just a reminder that you have one hour to get your orders in!

Don’t miss out!!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Greens!

Just an announcement that Strive Growes has added greens and lettuces!

Don’t wait…they will be gone, quickly!

Get your greens while we have them!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Taking Care Of Business

And we be takin’ care of business every day…
Takin’ care of business every way…
We’ve been takin’ care of business, it’s all mine…
Takin’ care of business and working overtime…
(Bachman – Turner Overdrive – Takin Care Of Business)

Well….A big, huge, standing ovation to your Buckeyes!! They went, they took care of business, they left with the victory!! The kind of heart warming, adrenaline pumping story of victory that makes it all so sweet. No matter who your team is, what school you usually cheer for, during the season, there was no denying that last night was simply amazing!

I am always about the under dogs, the ones who just kept the focus and let it lead them to success or victory.

This little market of love was the underdog. The little one that had the naysayers, the doubters, the, dare I even say it? The haters? Every solid team goes through this. The difference is how you show up, how you keep your vision, your focus, how you play it all out, how you take care of business.

I hope that everyone is basking in the victory, recovering from fun, proud to be a part of this state, of this community.

Today is Tuesday…the market will close, tonight, at 10pm. How about taking care of some business, right here? Show some love, right here? If you order, now, you will be ready for an early night to relax after last night’s crazy fun.

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Let The Games Begin!

Whatever your plans are for watching the big game, tonight, don’t forget to organize your week before you go on to cheer for your team!!

Take just a bit of time to place your orders, then go and enjoy the fun, and wake up, tomorrow, happy that your team won AND you have your weekly shopping done!!

January…it’s the football month! Start planning for any and all festivities!!

And, tonight? Go, Team, Go!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Swisher Hill Herbs-Football, Food, Tasting, Love

Some words and an invitation from Charlene and Joe…they bring you love from Swisher Hill Herbs in the form of a tasting…

January is filled with football bowl games and NFL playoffs every weekend ending with the Granddaddy of them all, the Super Bowl on Feb 1. Whether you are having a party, going to a party or just relaxing at home to enjoy the games the Virtual Market can help you with your menu. Swisher Hill Herbs would like to help get this party going…..
Swisher Hill Herbs is having a Tasting!!! Touchdown Thursday – January 22, 2015 In the YMCA lobby from 4:00-6:00pm Virtual Market Vendors and customers. Visit our sample table! Dips – cheese ball- Chili – Meatballs and more!
Pick up recipe ideas and suggestions for how you can make the Champaign Virtual Market your party shopping headquarters!

Standing On The Moon

Standing on the moon…
I see a shadow on the sun…
Standing on the moon…
The stars go fading one by one…
(Standing On The Moon…Grateful Dead)

You know how on some days, things seem monumental? Or you feel stressed, or in my case, sick all week? You know how we may get frustrated, irritated, angry? You know how so many of us can take a small problem, make it grow until we feel it’s the worst problem in the world?

We have all been there. We all do it. It’s life. We all get upset over things.

Then, you know how something even bigger comes along, something that shakes your soul? Something that is beyond belief? It catches you off guard, it brings you way down to what is really important in life?

That happened to me, yesterday. I have been sick (we ALL know that by now:), I was in an all morning/afternoon meeting (with a board that I LOVE), was tired when I left, and feeling frustrated that I was heading home to a nap, once again. I was also feeling blue because I needed to cancel plans for the evening because I just wasn’t up for the fun of the evening.

I arrived home, after my meeting, happened to check my Facebook page, only to see a huge amount of messages generating from my private sorority page.

You all know that I love and cherish the groups I am a part of. The friendships that I cultivate from each. Well, one of the groups that is nearest and dearest to me is my college sorority. Much like this little market of love, in the early days, our chapter of sorority built it’s chapter, on campus, in 1982. I was lucky enough to be a part of the building as one of the first pledge classes. The founders, the pledges, we worked long and hard, much like right here, to grow our sorority, each and every year.

But, we were the core group. The carriers of the flame. Our love and sisterhood continues to bond us. The messages, yesterday, were about one of our sisters who had fallen into a sudden and sad health issue and in 7 minutes, her life changed, we all sit in unity, today, as we do not know the outcome. We have reunited, across the United States, to hope for a miracle.

My reason for writing this, today, is that it’s easy to feel blue if things are not going the way we want but then you look at the bigger picture, and these small things, like me and my illness, don’t matter, really.

What matters are the bonds, the love, the groups that we form, that we protect, and that we nurture.

Today is Sunday…if you feel like letting a little love shine towards my sorority sister, it would be lovely. If it makes you look around and show someone around you some love, that would be amazing.

Love and friendship…it’s what I stress in this market, in life, and in my relationships with people in my life.

As always, this market is here, to help you through the week. We love each of our customers, vendors, and volunteers…we all need each other.

We are here, shining the lovelight…

We look forward to your orders, not because of the market sales, we look forward to connecting with each and every one of you, on Thursdays. We are a market family…and that is hard to find, elsewhere.

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Heartfelt Thanks and Love!

I open the market, tonight, feeling so thankful to my managers, Charlene and Mark, to all of you very understanding customers, and to the amazing help from the YMCA.

This morning found me totally knocked out with whatever is going around. I was sick, last week, thought I had gotten better, but not so much.

Mark and Charlene took the market, and my Cosmic customers were beyond understanding! I love that we can all rely on one another at our little local market. It took a bit of the stress out of being sick.

I am opening the market and drifting off to sleep. Stay warm, stay safe, and stay well…you can accomplish all of this with the ease of ordering from the market!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

It's Almost A Wrap!

We are approaching the 10pm timeframe!

Hurry and get your orders in! You don’t want to be left out of the fun!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Winter

It sure been a hard, hard winter…
My feet been draggin’ ‘cross the ground…
And I hope it’s gonna be a long, hot summer…
And a lotta love will be burnin’ bright…
(Winter-Rolling Stones)

I know that so far, this has been our most wintery of weather for the season. But it only takes one blast of cold, one snowfall, to make this warm weather girl already drifting off in thoughts of sun, warmth, days that go on forever.

Until those months come floating back, the best thing we can do is to wrap up, stay warm, dream of sun soaked fun, and make these winter days as easy as possible.

That is where this market helps…why not stay warm, stay local, order the nest local items around, all from the ease of wherever you are hanging until this cold snap passes.

The long hot summer is a ways away but the days of winter can be enjoyable if you know where to look…our little local market of love.

It is Tuesday, we are on the brink of the early evening hours, and we close at 10pm…make your list, get your orders in, go back to dreaming about warmer days:)

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam