Martha on Oprah

I thoroughly enjoyed watching Martha on Oprah today. Seeing Martha on shows other than her own - out of her element, as a guest - really puts her cultural importance into perspective. The audience went crazy for her and she seemed genuinely humbled and bashful. Oprah, of course, gushed galore. I do not watch Oprah regularly, but I can safely say that she among the most warm and giving personalities on television. You could see the kinship between these two incredible entrepreneurs, the mutual respect, the understanding of what it means to be a survivor, a builder, a visionary, and a realizer of dreams.

Martha's candid discussions about her time in prison were enlightening and candid. Her positive attitude about it all is truly remarkable. And I don't think it's spin. I think she really did make the most of a very trying and difficult situation and came out of it stronger. "I'm a strong person," she told Oprah. "But this was a test for me. A real test. And through it all I kept my head up. I kept my friends intact - most of them - and I kept myself busy and then I moved on." She said she never once woke up and felt as though she had let herself and others down. Instead she thought about what she was going to do with her day, what she would make, what she would learn, what she would read and who she would see. She was the first one up to take a shower each morning and she read more books during that five months than she had read in years. It was quite inspiring.

She also discussed the nativity creche she made out of ceramics while in prison (drabware, of course) which she will reveal to us in her upcoming book on entertaining. Looking forward to seeing it!

Martha then demonstrated how to make a grilled-cheese bar to serve 'grown-up grilled cheese sandwiches' with Bloody Marys - a real hit with Oprah - and took us on a tour of her home in Maine, Skylands. It was a remarkable segment. The beauty of that house is incredible. She showed her flower-arranging room, her bank of old wood-fronted refrigerators in the kitchen (original to the house) and her collection of faux-bois planters. I loved the show!

You can read about Martha's appearance on the show at The Martha Blog.