by Chrysa Smith

There she was. Entering ‘stage left’ as they say in the ‘biz.’ The blond emperess who can do just about anything ‘better than’, well, just about any of us. And I was there to witness it all in the flesh.

Yes, I was lucky enough to score ‘Martha’ tickets to her soon-to-be-cancelled show. And I must say, while I’ve been strongly attracted to her sense of style and home fashion, I’ve never sat and thought too much about Martha–the person.

Sure enough, I’ve heard the stories—how impossibly demanding she is to work with, live with. How perfection may not even be enough for her. But I have to say, the woman is damn impressive.

There she stood, rambling off tips for stain removal, cooking Butternut Squash perfectly, and answering audience questions about gardening, her ‘live’ greenhouse and what type of salt to use for what purpose. She had all the answers, including telling us how she has a board full of ramekins filled with various salts to use in cooking. I think it was over a dozen.

Just how does the decorating diva do it? First of all, I couldn’t stay awake enough hours to keep up with the demands of her mind. She pushes, pushes, pushes the limits of ‘more.’ She’s very attractive to boot. Having been a model, she joyfully (at least for those of us with middle-aged bulge) has a little extra skin around the middle, but is strikingly pretty. She has emerged bigger and better than ever; having overcome something as mortifying as ‘prison’ on a publicity scale that is probably equal to Al Capone. All of this, plus as one door is closing on her show, another door is opening for her in retail.

In addition to her lines at KMart and Macy’s, Martha is now partnering with JC Penney to reinvent their image. I believe she said this would all occur by the end of the year.

Now that I’m writing, I suppose she is an incredible lesson in ‘perseverence.’ All of the greats are. Despite the circumstances at any time, she’s able to rise above, keep a ‘stiff upper lip’ and move onward and upward. And that’s a great lesson for all of us—to be meticulously moving on.