photo/journal

one

Mon, 21 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

the text of Richard Blanco’s Inaugural Poem

One Today

One sun rose on us today, kindled over our shores,
peeking over the Smokies, greeting the faces
of the Great Lakes, spreading a simple truth
across the Great Plains, then charging across the Rockies.
One light, waking up rooftops, under each one, a story
told by our silent gestures moving behind windows.

My face, your face, millions of faces in morning’s mirrors,
each one yawning to life, crescendoing into our day:
pencil-yellow school buses, the rhythm of traffic lights,
fruit stands: apples, limes, and oranges arrayed like rainbows
begging our praise. Silver trucks heavy with oil or paper—
bricks or milk, teeming over highways alongside us,
on our way to clean tables, read ledgers, or save lives—
to teach geometry, or ring-up groceries as my mother did
for twenty years, so I could write this poem.

All of us as vital as the one light we move through,
the same light on blackboards with lessons for the day:
equations to solve, history to question, or atoms imagined,
the “I have a dream” we keep dreaming,
or the impossible vocabulary of sorrow that won’t explain
the empty desks of twenty children marked absent
today, and forever. Many prayers, but one light
breathing color into stained glass windows,
life into the faces of bronze statues, warmth
onto the steps of our museums and park benches 2
as mothers watch children slide into the day.

One ground. Our ground, rooting us to every stalk
of corn, every head of wheat sown by sweat
and hands, hands gleaning coal or planting windmills
in deserts and hilltops that keep us warm, hands
digging trenches, routing pipes and cables, hands
as worn as my father’s cutting sugarcane
so my brother and I could have books and shoes.

The dust of farms and deserts, cities and plains
mingled by one wind—our breath. Breathe. Hear it
through the day’s gorgeous din of honking cabs,
buses launching down avenues, the symphony
of footsteps, guitars, and screeching subways,
the unexpected song bird on your clothes line.

Hear: squeaky playground swings, trains whistling,
or whispers across café tables, Hear: the doors we open f
or each other all day, saying: hello| shalom,
buon giorno |howdy |namaste |or buenos días
in the language my mother taught me—in every language
spoken into one wind carrying our lives
without prejudice, as these words break from my lips.

One sky: since the Appalachians and Sierras claimed
their majesty, and the Mississippi and Colorado worked
their way to the sea. Thank the work of our hands:
weaving steel into bridges, finishing one more report
for the boss on time, stitching another wound
or uniform, the first brush stroke on a portrait,
or the last floor on the Freedom Tower
jutting into a sky that yields to our resilience.

One sky, toward which we sometimes lift our eyes
tired from work: some days guessing at the weather
of our lives, some days giving thanks for a love
that loves you back, sometimes praising a mother
who knew how to give, or forgiving a father
who couldn’t give what you wanted.

We head home: through the gloss of rain or weight
of snow, or the plum blush of dusk, but always—home,
always under one sky, our sky. And always one moon
like a silent drum tapping on every rooftop
and every window, of one country—all of us—
facing the stars
hope—a new constellation
waiting for us to map it,
waiting for us to name it—together

-- Richard Blanco

le petite shoppe

Tue, 2 Oct 2012 10:34:34 -0700

In this season of harvest, I am happy to share some news.

A couple of months ago, I happened upon a wee spot in the Montecito Country Mart that I thought ideal for a pop up shop. It took some convincing and cajoling but the Summerland Mercantile Pop Up Shop opens for business tomorrow, October 3rd through December 31st.

With the helping hands of good friends and a lot of elbow grease, we have transported this teeny space into our magical world and I so hope you will all come by for a look and a visit.

1024f coast village road • montecito • california • 805-245-6845

Simple Registration

Sat, 22 Sep 2012 05:44:52 -0700

please register!

check and make sure you are on the rolls and don’t live in one of the states that has passed recent voter registration “reform”.

here is a link for California residents to register online:

https://rtv.sos.ca.gov/elections/register-to-vote/

GO ON

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 06:47:59 -0700

Jimmy’s new project- “GO ON” starring Matthew Perry- airs tonight in its official time slot -Tuesdays on NBC at 9:00 p.m..

It has a sweet spot nestled between “The Voice” and another freshman comedy “Back to Normal”.

Fingers crossed!

happenings

Tue, 11 Sep 2012 00:00:00 -0700

I should seriously consider just changing the name of this blog to the Mogull/ Lancaster/ Simons Family Blog. Everyone just has so much going on lately...

Carson has been featured in a cool article in San Francisco Arts Quarterly:
http://www.sfaqonline.com/2012/09/08/book-job-gallery-interview-with-carson-lancaster/

Taylor has been immersed in the study of Zen Buddhism. After studying for the month of August he has chosen to return for another two month residential immersion.
https://www.zendust.org/

and the winner is...

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 07:09:50 -0700

Oy, another shameless plug for one of our kids but honestly how can I not? This past Saturday Morgan Simons of Pi Bake Shop won TWO 1st place ribbons at the 4th Annual KCRW Pie Contest. She won both the nut and cream categories for her peanut and jelly pie and her key lime coconut pie.
She brought the key lime coconut for Sunday dinner yesterday and the last piece is calling me from the refrigerator. Breakfast anyone?

Kids Craft Camp

Sun, 26 Aug 2012 08:23:42 -0700

Summerland Merantile had the pleasure of hosting a couple of kids crafting camps this summer. We had such a group of enthusiastic, eager and talented kids.

We started the week out with making tote bags in which to store the weeks worth of projects. Sewing patches, embroidering their names, drawing. Next we moved onto bookmaking and some of them turned their books into journals and memory books.
We knit, we needle felted, we plant dyed bandanas and made kites. We pounded leather bookmarks, made friends and laughed a lot.

I was surprised by how much fun I had.

Keaton

Thu, 9 Aug 2012 07:20:52 -0700

Looks like August is turning out to be a pretty good month for the offspring as well.
Keaton has a part on the season finale of “Californication”. The episode was filmed at the Greek Theater and thats him in costume. Someone posted a little video on YOUTUBE. The very next night he played at the legendary “Troubadour”. So incredibly proud of him!

Harvesting Color

Sun, 29 Jul 2012 07:28:06 -0700

Last weekend I took a workshop taught by Rebecca Burgess. She is the author of a beautiful and thought provoking book titled, “Harvesting Color”. The workshop was titled Natural Dyes. I went into it with the expectation that I would dye some sample strips and create a color palate of sorts and sample the colors nature affords.
As is usually the case, I came away with so much more. Rebecca gave a lecture and slide show about the effects that chemical dyes and textile manufacturing is having on our health and ecology. For instance, did you know that the textile industry is the number one polluter of fresh water resources on the planet, as well as having an immense carbon footprint? Our fleeces & stretchy yoga pants discard 2,000 plastic fibers in an average washing and these small fibers are now making their way into the water supply and beaches.
My eyes have been opened to a new way of thinking about the clothing I wear and where it comes from and the impact purchasing choices have on the environment.
Check out this cool site- Fibershed- grown and sewn- close to home.

RAD Permaculture Design

Wed, 25 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700

July has become an auspicious month for our family.

Along with the launch of Carson’s gallery/shop, Ryland has officially launched RAD PERMACULTURE DESIGN.

Based primarily in the Malibu area, he is be available for consultation anywhere.

I speak from personal experience when I say that the project he has begun on our land has brought us bounty and joy.

the girls of yakomo high school in tokyo japan

Wed, 18 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700

We had the pleasure of hosting eighteen girls from Japan yesterday for a crafting class. They are touring the United States as part of an exchange program with the Cate School in Carpinteria.

We taught a vintage button bracelet class, designed by Kaari of French General, utilizing buttons from her vast collection. Most of the girls spoke zero english and my japanese is limited to arigato (thank you) but we got by with hand signals and smiles and had more than a few laughs.

I spilled one girl’s creation twice, while attempting to knot her bracelet cord, requiring her to restring the piece three times. I learned the symbol for “dodo” is knocking your head with your fist. Remarkably, she handed it to me the third time to try again. Third times a charm!

Tue, 17 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Book & Job gallery is committed to the advancement of contemporary art by representing emerging and established artists. Located on Geary in between Larkin and Hyde, Book & Job is dedicated to the continued success of the Tenderloin community in San Francisco, California.

keeping up

Wed, 9 May 2012 00:00:00 -0700

pinterest, twitter, facebook, blogging, updating my website, answering email, returning telephone calls, texting... and oh- now there is instagram. my head is surely going to explode one of these days.
i just spent four days solving an iweb problem which has lead to the decision to change blogging platforms.
when is there time to create, work in the garden or read?
i am going outside- right now!!!!

the edible schoolyard !

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Combining my love of gardening, food and crafting... we attended a workshop last weekend at the Edible Schoolyard, in Berkeley. Check out the link because they can explain it better than I can. Suffice to say, it is worth a visit and open to the public on weekends for a free walk about. Heaven- on so many levels.

fern and feather

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

i love alexis garrett. i met her summer before last at the french general chateau getaway. she is as beautiful inside as she is out. she is also one of the sweetest women i have ever met. REAL sweet. not superficial sweet.

when stacy and i were starting out she agreed to be our first outside teacher. this was before we even had a shop/ atelier. we set up in my dining room and we winged it. she was good natured, a trooper but most of all a gentle and encouraging teacher.

she has agreed to return to Summerland Mercantile on saturday june 2nd to teach that cool tote pictured above.

fern and feather is her blog... and the name of her design business. her posts are musings of craft, art, mommy, food and love.

below is the package the sample tote came in.

sweet mentions

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

recently summerland mercantile has received some lovely mentions. it is very rewarding when other people “get” what we are up to here and i am so grateful. just click on each article to enlarge.

alabama chanin

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0700

Hit the road last Friday for the five hour drive north to the Bay Area. The purpose of the trip was participating in a one day workshop taught by Natalie Chanin of Alabama Chanin fame, with the added bonus of being held at the Edible Schoolyard (more about that in another post).

I like to work with my hands. I don’t garden with gloves and I like to eat with my fingers. Knitting, collaging, jewelry making, yes. Sewing however, has been illusive. I took one on one sewing lessons a few years back. The instructor was a dressmaker, adament about precise measurement (I am not a great baker either) and proper use of the sewing machine. It was not fun and there was not enough instant gratification for me.

Alabama Chanin is all about handstitching. It speaks to every thing I love... textiles, colors, organic materials, ancient craft and technique that does not demand perfection.

Natalie was down to earth and forthcoming about the trails and tribulations of her career, as well as graciously forthcoming about her business. She was warm and patient, full of heart, self deprecation, laughter and it all made her a great teacher.

I don’t know how I could have had a better time.

wanna feel good? watch this!

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 21:34:34 -0700

a boy creates an arcade using imagination, cardboard and stuff.

a perfect day

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 14:08:55 -0700

it is a huge gamble when you plan an outdoor event, one that cannot possibly be moved indoors. a couple of years ago our open air market was rained out and had to be rescheduled twice, which turned us off from having another one for quite awhile. this year the heavens smiled on us. we had sun and blue sky all day and the temperature was perfection.

thanks to all who helped put it together and to all who showed up.

click here for more photos

just need to hear this every once in awhile

Sun, 1 Apr 2012 14:07:21 -0700

early spring in new york

Mon, 26 Mar 2012 11:25:23 -0700

Morgan- teaching her easy and inexpensive Vegan Bean Stew

Sun, 18 Mar 2012 08:46:27 -0700

I found this in my inbox this morning. Need to do some research on what the daughter is up to here but ... I am sharing away...

Expanding

Sat, 17 Mar 2012 08:50:33 -0700

Last Fall I signed up for an Art Center At Night class. Once a week, I made the trek from Summerland to Pasadena, most evenings getting there a few hours early to avoid hideous rush hour traffic. It was quite a commitment, the hour and a half each direction, two hours of hanging out before class, all on top of three hours of class. I would get home around midnight buzzing with information and often be awake for hours... all to learn Digital Design 101.
This term I am taking Web Fundamentals online. This has required discipline and inforced ritual, which is challenging. There are deadlines, assignments and hours of video lectures. I was sharing with one of my sons that I ALWAYS put my homework off to the very last minute and he said it must be in our DNA.
For three years I have been blogging using a rudimentary program Apple created called, iweb. My business website was also created using iweb. There isn’t a “pro” version of this program and there are rumours that Apple will be fazing it out soon. Panic set in and now I am stretching and expanding to learn a new language.
As is usually the case with me, it has made me ever more proficent with iweb... and in my effort to stall doing the work, my studio is organized, drawers are cleaned out, I’ve made three pieces of jewelry this week, taken up embroidery and finished unraveling a knit cap. Anything but the homework!

February

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 09:25:53 -0800

highlights from the holidays

Wed, 4 Jan 2012 07:47:54 -0800

three sons home for two weeks.

burned candles and had a fire every night.

shopped for groceries daily and cooked every night.

people sleeping on every couch, the outdoor bed and even sparkie the camper.

lots and lots of laughing.

went to bed exhausted every night and slept as late as duke would allow.

christmas day hike through the tunnel to the beach.

jimmy cooking almost 300 latkes over three nights.

evenings gathering around the swedish candle fire.

the nikon d3000 my sons gave me.

lost 5 lbs. eating the cathy “carbs & sugar” diet ; )

lots of sunshine.

friends coming and going.

kathy’s 65th birthday dinner and her big glorious family.

jimmy home and not working.

irma & meggyn.

love. love. love.

stuff we make

Sun, 11 Dec 2011 13:34:56 -0800

i love finding treasures and repurposing them for a contemporary use.

the candy tins were found in a brocante outside of albi, france. it so much fun coming across those and bargaining for the lot of 80 or so. my friends kaari and molly got half and i bought the other half.

another item i scour france for are the hand embroidered lingerie/silver bags. stacy sews them into these fab rice filled heat therapy sacks. pop them into the microwave for a few minutes and ahhhh.

I dyed with the muslin totes with the infamous woad last summer and the hand sewn appliqués were discovered at a brocante in cassaude, france.

stacy’s sister shelley makes the soy gemstone candles, as well as hand paints the matchboxes.

the garlands are fastened from a vast collection of vintage handkerchieves, matched with vintage ribbons found mostly in france and lovingly sew by stacy.

such joy!

Another Year Another Tree

Wed, 7 Dec 2011 08:09:58 -0800

Another miracle. Tree finished. I get all warm and fuzzy when I walk into the living room and see that tree.

Cottages & Bungalows Magazine Shoot

Thu, 1 Dec 2011 19:42:24 -0800

There is nothing like having company to motivate me to get the house “presentable”.
A magazine shoot in my home and shop racketed my obsession to a whole different level of crazy. With the help of my cohorts, Stacy & Jen, I moved, tweaked, shuzzed, placed, cleaned, hung, adjusted, re-adjusted, organized, swapped and prettied for a few days. We even took a trip down to the L.A. Flower Mart for flowers. All autumnal decorations had to be replaced with Spring for the issue the magazine is working on.
Photographer Jake Cryan was supposed to shoot for one day and ended up working here for three days. We got used to stepping over the cables and closing our eyes for the strobes. It was a blast.
And now... on to holiday decorating!!! We put the lights on the tree last night. No rest for the weary.

Ready, Set, Go!

Sun, 20 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

We have spent the past week getting ready for the holidays and all the cool stuff we have planned. We re-merchandised the shop and have begun holiday decorating. Our workshops are all planned and we will be open Saturdays until the end of the year. It feels soooo good to be ready!

Art’s Antique Shoppe

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:24:10 -0700

this past weekend my sister and i were driving down colorado ave. in colorado springs. we had finished a run to a few thrift shops and done an hour at the antique mall when we passed a ramshackle bungalow with hand painted sign in the front yard that read- art’s antique shoppe. the front window was filled with rows of houseplants and the rickety front porch was littered with misc. household items. my heart starts to pound with the possibility of finding treasure.

next to the broken buzzer was a handwritten sign that read- please ring bell and wait a few minutes. the woman who answered the door was ancient; hunched over she was about 3 feet tall. she welcomed us into the place which was dark and each small room was FILLED with stuff. as is often the case with a place like this, there was a melange of items. tv’s, a george forman grill pan, a friend’s husband’s slacks that she agreed to try and sell for her, pottery, glass, beads, and dressers packed with so much stuff the drawers won’t open.

alison and i spent a couple of hours going through the place and visiting with mary. she and her husband, art opened in 1970 and art passed away a few years ago. she swims at the ymca a few times a week and sleeps in a small room off the kitchen. she still collects.

Happy Trick or Treating

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 08:16:25 -0700

Silvered Glass Workshop

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Autumn

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Harvest. Socks & Sweaters. Darkness earlier.

I’m Back!!!

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 09:44:30 -0700

... in France.
There is nothing that says France like the local farmers market and only a few kilometers from the Chateau there is the Caussade Market, known as a real chef’s market; we have been the only tourists I’ve come across. This one even has an area devoted solely to livestock, duckings, chickens and the like. Handwritten labels on the colorful stacks of fresh fruit and vegetables, the town women gossiping at the charcuterie truck, the sausage man, steaming pans of paella. Cheese, bread, olives. Oh it is so good to be back.

before & after 2011

Tue, 24 May 2011 08:16:07 -0700

This was our garage BEFORE we moved in four years ago. It certainly doesn’t look that empty and pristine today.
Late last year I came pretty darn close to signing a lease on commercial space for Summerland Mercantile and then I chickened out. I just didn’t want the pressure of overhead.
Instead we took the leap and converted that last bay in to an atelier. As you may or may not know I love a good renovation project. This one went smoothly and I am so please with the results.

Woad Dyeing in Los Angeles

Sun, 10 Apr 2011 14:44:59 -0700

1-1-11

Sat, 1 Jan 2011 08:20:38 -0800

This morning, at dawn, some friends gathered with me to watch the sunrise. Together we welcomed the first day of the New Year and acknowledged a big milestone for me. Twenty years of sobriety.

While we were experiencing the shift from dawn to day, we each drew a circle on a piece of paper, writing what we wanted on the inside of the circle and what we didn’t want on the outside. As the sun rose we tossed our intentions into the fire and watched as the waves carrried the ashes out to sea.

I was gifted the surprise of a private yoga class; all levels and ages of sisterhood in one room together, sweating, stretching, meditating and chanting. It was sheer bliss.

On that first day, in 1991, I was miserable and confused, unsure how or why I had gotten in to the mess of a life I was experiencing. I felt utterly victimized by people and circumstances. I was bursting with resentments and self hatred.

I have baby stepped my way into becoming someone I am proud of, whose company I enjoy. I recommit daily to doing the best I can, to being of service when I am able and living in extreme gratitude.

In AA there is an expression called “the pink cloud”, the temporary sensation of euphoria and well being that is characteristic to those who are new to sobriety. For most, the pink cloud eventually dissipates. This morning the sky was awash with them!

christmas eve

Fri, 24 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

The 1st Summerland Mercantile Workshop

Sat, 11 Dec 2010 19:55:12 -0800

Friday night we hosted the Vintage Inspired Ornament Workshop. Ten women gathered to express and create, have a nosh and a few laughs.

I hope this is the first of many!

In the meantime, French General is hosting three days of very special workshops in January. Head over there to check it out. frenchgeneral.com

the last night

Wed, 8 Dec 2010 20:23:36 -0800

one shop in lucca, italy

Tue, 7 Dec 2010 13:52:45 -0800

open air market recap

Fri, 3 Dec 2010 06:24:38 -0800

It has been a week now so it is time to look back...

The weather was kind. We had bright warm sun interspersed with dark fluffy colds that brought intermittent warm and cool streams and it didn’t start to rain until we were packing it all up.

All day long there was a steady flow of visitors.

Organizing something like this takes time, patience, money and a good attitude. I think for our first foray out into the real world (from my garden) it was successful and as always I came away thinking of ways to improve for next time.

Thank you to all the vendors who participated and to all the customers who showed up.
Can’t wait till next time.

thanksgiving

Thu, 25 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

I am bursting with gratitude for EVERYONE & EVERYTHING.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

My brother in law and sister are visiting and she is doing all the cooking, so I get to spend the day tomorrow breaking out the Christmas decorations (my second favorite holiday). Today Alison and I did the grocery shopping together for the first time in years and did a lot of laughing about stuff only the two of us would find funny.

Carson is coming home. Ryland is enjoying a New Zealand summer and Taylor has just checked in with the news that he cycled today 20 miles today and it is 20 degrees in Portland this evening. Morgan & Keaton are coming up Sunday for sunday supper and Jimmy is happily looking forward to a four day weekend.

Life is good. Love to all.

Into each life some rain must fall

Sat, 20 Nov 2010 07:12:33 -0800

Looks like we are rained out! Luckily we were able to secure the location for next Saturday, November 27th and there is gorgeous weather forecasted. So far, almost all our vendors are on board AND some that weren’t able be there this weekend will be joining us.

This market will have some beautiful lamps that are rewired and have vintage shades to match, a sweet group of vintage Christmas decorations, our usual array of glass, crystal and pottery, in addition to some fab linens.

I guess it is going to work out after all.

Huh?

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 07:24:23 -0800

I wrote a week or so ago about an experience I had involving my father and perhaps him reaching out to me from the beyond.

Yesterday the posted blog entry vanished. Dylan- the Witmark Years- is a blank page.

I started this photo/journal sixteen months ago. Written well over sixty entries and this has never happened.

Vanished.

Artie died six years ago this month.

Sixteen Hours in Rome October 2010

Sun, 14 Nov 2010 18:45:22 -0800

harvest moon dinner

Sat, 23 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) enables a community of individuals to pledge their support to a farmer and in exchange, they receive a share of its bounty throughout the growing season. Many CSA’s produce organically locally grown produce.

The CSA that we belong to is Sheperd Farm, named for its owner Tom Sheperd, a fifth generation Santa Barbara resident. Tom began farming organically in 1973. He was one of the original salad mix producers in California. He was also one of the earliest members of the SB Certified Farmers Market, where he still sells his produce twice a week.

Last Friday night Tom and his loyal crew hosted a Harvest Moon dinner for the CSA members. The farm is nestled at the base of the Carpinteria foothills. Tables were set in an idyllic spot of green lawn plopped between rows of brussels sprouts, rosemary, sage. We had a warm bonfire- a screening of a short film about beans- yummy food prepared on outdoor stoves- and met some of our fellow members.

For information about a CSA program in your area: http://www.localharvest.org/

flat

Fri, 22 Oct 2010 00:00:00 -0700

It has been over six weeks since my last post. That is a big gap, even for me.

It isn’t that I haven’t been busy, it is just that with the changing of the season I needed to go inside for awhile. Needed to listen instead of talk. Or to hear nothing. I felt flat and I have been slowly waiting for inspiration to creep back in. One of the gifts of aging is learned faith. Faith born from experience, which for me, has been different from my intuitive faith. Now, when times are flat I recognize it as just that and I know that it isn’t going to last. It used to scare me.

Flat.

Felt like a dry well that would never fill again.

Now I relish it, with the same vigor with which I used to respond to drama. Today, I am repelled by drama.

Water comes in water goes out.

Inspiration has crept back in gently and I am back.

Shana Tova Everyone

Wed, 8 Sep 2010 18:33:22 -0700

Nice mention of my Pops

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:55:47 -0700