Days Between

There were days…
and there were days…
and there were days between…
polished like a golden bowl…
the finest ever seen…
Hearts of Summer held in trust…
still tender, young and green…
left on shelves collecting dust…
not knowing what they mean…
valentines of flesh and blood…
as soft as velveteen…
hoping love would not forsake…
the days that lie between lie between…(Days Between-Jerry Garcia, Robert Hunter)

Those of you who follow my Cosmic Charlie Facebook page or know me, in person, or know my business model, know of my love of The Grateful Dead. You also know that I am just finishing my own days between tribute to Jerry Garcia. Days Between is a Grateful Dead song and also describes, what Dead Heads have come to know, as the time span between Jerry’s birthday and the day of his passing. August 1-August 9…on these days, we remember, we cherish, we reflect..

In our everyday lives, aren’t we all living days between? Isn’t there always something that drives us from day to day? Aren’t there small memories, reflections, cherished moments that take us day to day? We mark milestones, we watch growth, we love, we mourn, we groove…all in days that fall into days, that eventually mark the days between.

This little local market of love is a perfect example of how we mark days between. We started out on a stepping stone, we slowly paved our way, we learned, we grew, we still grow and learn. We have expanded, we have become a county known name. We look back, we look at the here and now, and we continue to look forward and plan.

Yes, this market is a cherished little gem of many days between. Just like Jerry did for me for many years and still for many more years, this market inspires, grows, shows much love, and continues to weave it’s magic.

If you are our group of weekly local loyalists, we love and cherish you! If you use us occasionally, we love and cherish you, and would love to inspire you more often! If you are still standing on the sidelines, waiting, watching, and wondering what we are all about…this can be the start of your days between! Just make that first step to give us a try…

Thank you to each of you for making this market what it is…thank you for believing in the little local market of love…

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Right Back Where We Started From

Ooo and it’s alright and it’s comin’ ’long…
We got to get right back to where we started from…(Right Back Where We Started From-Maxine Nightingale)

Yes…so, along with my young love of all things hippie, rock and roll, and all things soul… I had a very passionate love of disco:) By now, we all know that your local market manager rocks the tunes, grooves to many genres of music, was a very young girl making her way to concerts, venues, clubs…all in good fun and a lot of sweet dance moves were had by all!

Anyway, as I worked the very quiet market, tonight, at the very quiet YMCA, this song popped into my head. We have all enjoyed the Champaign County fair, saw life slow to very relaxed paces around town, but now, this girl wants the excitement back!!

I don’t do well in the very relaxed, very quiet mode. I like fast paced, I like excitement, I like high adrenaline, I like the spinning disco ball, and I like all of my people in front of me!!!

So, tonight I open the market for the week, and I want to see a stampede of everyone!! We have produce, we welcome back vendors who have been in vacation mode, we have baked goods, local meats, dairy, spices, garlic.. we see the sweet corn coming in…we have it all!!

I want to see the little local market of love come alive, again!! I want to kick it into high gear just like the sweet dance moves of my disco time:)

Set the beat, get your groove on, boogie away, place those orders!!

Let’s get this market right back to where it was before we had the lull of fair week..

Show me your hustle!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Opening Night!

Well, just opening of the market, tonight…but still, always a big event of the week!! I get so excited, each Thursday, after we close out the market pick up, and then I write your opening market Weblog…the excitement never leaves!!

Anyway, this is serving as a heads up about the market, tonight…

We bring you a new vendor but he has vended for me and the Mechanicsburg Farmers and Artisans market for years!! He won’t be around for long and this is why I want you to be aware…

He is Brad Gregg, he comes from Gregg Farms and he brings you his AMAZING sweet corn!!!! He sells out of his truckloads, each Tuesday night, up in the ’burg, and he took me up on my offer to have his corn, here, for sale!!

You don’t want to miss this because sweet corn season goes by so quickly!!!

Thanks so much for always supporting our hardworking farmers, growers, producers, here in our little local market of love…

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Star Status!!

Good morning!! I am sending this morning Weblog to make a very special announcement and to give huge snaps to our lovely farm family of End Of The Road Farms!! It is now their time to SHINE!!

If you have met them or gone on their farm tour, you know what a unique, special, hard working, family of love that they have going on out in Fletcher.
You know that their products are superior on our market!! I, as a baker, now exclusively use only their spelt flour for some of my specialty breads.

Last night, when I came in from a day in the Cosmic shop, I sat down to check my emails while enjoying a glass of wine. I received the most lovely updates from Lee and Jennifer from End Of The Road…here is what they sent me and I got teary eyed for them!!

Let’s all give them the snaps and applause that they deserve…

Congratulations! Your farm is now featured on the Certified Naturally Grown home page.

Check it out here: www.naturallygrown.org Don’t be modest – tell your friends and customers! Certified Naturally Grown farms and apiaries are committed to the highest ideals of sustainable agriculture. Congratulations on becoming one of our poster farmers! Thanks for all you do to help build a sustainable food system in your community. We will of course highlight your farm via our Facebook and Twitter accounts. If you use social media, be sure to share our Facebook post about your farm, and re-tweet our mention of your farm on Twitter. The CNG Team

I think that is just a really big deal kind of honor…

Have a great day…

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Close Out!

Thank you for ordering from our little local market of love, this week!!

We will see everyone, who ordered, on Thursday!!

If you were with us, last Thursday, you know that we are in a bit of a reconstruction phase at the YMCA. Please be patient with the temporary set up, the YMCA is working as quickly as possible!

Thanks, again…we love your local support!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Don't You Forget About Me

Don’t you forget about me…
Don’t, don’t, don’t, don’t…
Don’t you forget about me…
(Simple Minds – Don’t You Forget About Me)

A little 80’s club music, anyone? A little Breakfast Club? A little reminder that we are still here, your faithful little market, waiting in the background, to all of your fair fun!!

You can still order from us!! You can even order from the fair!! Because, on Thursday, you may be very, very happy that you thought ahead and ordered some really super healthy, local food, to start the weekend, after the fair!!

Your market is open until 10pm, this evening!! Get ready, take just a small amount of time, and order!!

Don’t you forget about us because we never, ever forget about you, our lovely locavores!

The clock is ticking…

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Rivers and Roads

rivers and roads…
rivers and roads…
rivers ’til i reach you…
(The Head And The Heart – Rivers And Roads)

Have you ever had a chain of events happen where they just kept piling into your emotional self? Those days where it was all little things but then one last thing happens setting all of the little things off and you feel just sort of upset, off center, not on your game? You keep trying to brush it all off but the things just kept wanting to bring you down?

Well, I am just coming off that kind of a weekend. Very unlike myself but when you have no control over all that starts to unfold, it leaves you just staring at it and all you can do is seek out what will lift you back up, put the wind back in your sails, give you the power to get back to being yourself. I might add that none of these things were earth shaking or life threatening or even of importance to anyone else except me.

Rivers and Roads…that’s what I call your path back to being yourself. Finding what grounds you. For me, it’s always my closest friends, my Cosmic business, and this little market that I love so much! When I know I have all of these to focus on, my mind gets back on track, I feel at one, and my inner peace is restored.

This market is that little source of comfort for me as I hope it is for all of our customers. That constant in your week where you know we are always here ready to help. We help in your shopping, we help to put healthy foods into your day, we help to build local bonds that connect all of us. We all need to feel connected. To have our center. When you drift from that, you end up feeling just like I did after the chain of events.

Let us be your help, your constant, your center. Not only do you get a stress free week, a local goodness to take home, and the happiness that you have kept it all local, but you also help to build our relationships at this little market between customers/vendors/volunteers. Let us be your weekly source that connects you and grounds you.

Rivers and Roads…let it all lead back to us.

It is Monday morning, the market is open, the Champaign County Fair is in full swing, it is Ohio Farmer’s Market Week, and we have a whole lot of local love to pile on, this week!!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

County Fair

County fair, county fair,
Everybody in town’ll be there
So come on, hey we’re goin’ down there…(Bruce Sprinsteen-County Fair)

That’s right…just like Bruce sings, it’s County Fair time!!

Bruce can croon like no other about small town life, a love of local, a love of small town spirit.

I once had the ultimate pleasure of having Bruce on one of my flights back in my flight attendant days. I had a lot of celebs, a lot of rock stars, etc. But, a few just really always stood out as top notch, the real deals, class acts. He was one of them. I remember it was a long flight…California to New Jersey. An all nighter. I was working first class. One guy was a total jerk from the moment he entered the cabin. He was making it an unbearable flight. He didn’t like the scotch on the rocks that I offered him because it didn’t have a lemon shaving. As I returned to the galley to SHAVE A LEMON, I passed by Bruce’s seat. He leaned over, and in a hushed voice, told me to brush it off. I was too pretty to let anyone take my smile. Ok…crush, crush, crush…lol. BUT…just the fact that he could be that real, that local, that down home, made this girl’s evening.

So, this song is perfect to kick off our weekly market during our own county fair week! What a perfect way to display our local pride, our local customs, our local love.

While everyone is out supporting this very lovely county fair, remember that your market manager is here, with the market open, full of local pride and love, taking orders for your week!!

Take it all in, this week…enjoy every minute of what our county fair has to offer. Support your farmers, your producers, your growers, the kids, the exhibits, the pride, the excitement! It’s the best of the best in what our little local county has to offer!

Give it the same pride and love that Bruce sings about…the same pride that he bestowed on this girl, many years ago.

And, in between your fair visits, judging, participating, think of us and all that we can do to make your fair week even better!! Get your orders in so all you have to do is breeze through on next Thursday, to pick it all up…

I open the market, once again, to the vibe of local love…

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Thank You!!

The market is now closed for the week!!

Thank you for your orders and for supporting our little local market!

Have a great week!

Peace and Love,
Cosmic Pam

Last Call!!

Just your last warning to get your groove on and get the last minute orders all ready to be placed!

You have 15 minutes…time is now slipping away!