A lightning strike and its ultimate consequence and lunch with Ludacris
You may recall last August when I posted a blog regarding a very tall white pine at my farm that suffered a lightning strike. At that time, it was decided to keep the tree standing and see how it might survive. Well, the answer came the other day when the pine snapped apart during heavy winds. It seems that the lightning had, indeed, weakened the tree substantially and I am sad to see it go.
Here I am having Lunch yesterday with Ludacris (Chris Bridges). We had a nice salad, paella, and chocolate cake for dessert. He is a nice young man and very, very busy. He is extremely excited about his new flick and new album. Ludacris also really liked the chocolate cake!
He was great on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit!
Posted by: Melissa Allen | March 4th, 2009 at 6:34 pm
WOW! I don't know if I am more excited for you Martha or for you, Chris (i.e. Ludacris). What a pleasant combo - two stars snacking on some yumm grub. And, don't even get me started on the paella - I love me some paella.
Thanks for sharing, Martha, you rock!
Scott
PS - Lovely pics of the grove, looks amazing out there.
Posted by: Scotty Snacks | March 4th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Love you. You are so inspirational to me, especially your show. Are you still a vegetarian?
Posted by: Sharon A. Kattke | March 4th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
Aww such a nice pic I wish I was in it.
Both of you are great people, thank you for the opp
to let me write this. god bless.
Posted by: Pocco | March 4th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
You are too cool Martha and know all the best people! On another topic, can't wait for the new craft book to come out! Tried to get it online but I guess it doesn't drop until the 31st:( Can't come soon enough!
Posted by: Katie | March 4th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
Martha,
I am sure this is not news to you, but in seeing your tree and it's diameter, I immediately thought of turned bowls or urns or candlesticks, but I believe white pine is turnable on a wood lathe after it has dried, You could even use them as gifts or for charity or to hone your turning skills yourself!
There are woodturners in guilds across the world that are searchable for skill, artisan style or teaching ability at the website for the american association of woodturners (www.woodturner.org)
Might be a great segment on your show as well!
and if all the above is old news to you, sorry I just started following you on twitter, so am not fully informed on all of your endeavours.
Sincerely,
Michelle
Posted by: michelle | March 4th, 2009 at 6:40 pm
nice to see that you had a wonderful lunch : )
Posted by: michael Ahuja | March 4th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Wow! I never knew trees needed so much care and maintenance. I suppose being a "living" thing they are just as vulnerable to the elements as well.
Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Mona | March 4th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Looks fabulous, martha!! That cake looks yummy!!
Posted by: delicious design | March 4th, 2009 at 6:53 pm
Glad to hear Ludachris enjoyed his chocolate cake, now I am sure we could be friends! How wonderful to enjoy lunch with him....
Posted by: missionalmommy | March 4th, 2009 at 7:42 pm
Hi Martha
I know how you feel about losing a tree....where my vacation home is we are surrounded by palm trees and every rainy season we lose 1 or 2 of them to lightening.
Martha I have a question for you. I was a winner in a contest held on Martha Stewart Crafts (Be Inspired Contest). It was a thrill to win! My prize was gift certificates to spend on MS Crafts and I just about got all I wanted. Ok so here is my question...why are there so few items on your craft site for purchase, yet there are tons of wonderful products at Wal Mart and Michaels? I still have money to spend and nothing to spend it on. I wish I could just spend this prize at the store....
Thanking you in advance,
Gina
Posted by: Gina Ortiz | March 4th, 2009 at 8:56 pm
Where did you have lunch Martha?
Pru
Posted by: Pru | March 4th, 2009 at 10:28 pm
I am always amazed at the people you know and how everyone is so relaxed with each other. I was sorry to hear that your tree has to go now. I know how it is to lose a piece of a lovely landscape, but if I know you, Martha, you'll probably have it spread around your property as mulch, or use pieces of it in a craft. That I am looking forward to.
DCMerkle
Posted by: DCMerkle | March 4th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
Martha Stewart and Ludacris? What a combo!
Posted by: Beth Mancuso | March 5th, 2009 at 2:44 am
So sorry about your tree! My parents lost a tree that they loved dearly about a year ago.
I am glad you had a fun lunch!!
Posted by: Mr. Newlywed | March 5th, 2009 at 3:47 am
omg martha! you're really with luda! i h8 u! luda luv me! put your arm around me! i'll give you a piece of the yum yum chocolate chip honey dip!
Posted by: linda | March 5th, 2009 at 5:07 am
Hi Martha!
So nature has taken care of nature?...when it comes to your white pines. It has not been unusual that when I think of something, you blog about it! Just last night I was remembering and thinking about that lightening strike that took out your tree and hit your roof in the Hamptons, right? It was that same storm that killed my laptop AND two other friends laptops, too!
P.S. What sweet man doesn't love chocolate cake!?!
We need a "chocolate" rap song. Oh, and that reminds me...friends and I have been crazy wondering what ever happened to the little box of cookies in grocery store called "Chocolate Snaps"? Anyone remember those?
Posted by: tinay | March 5th, 2009 at 5:23 am
Oh, I'm so sorry to hear about that beautiful pine! Those are some amazing pictures you shared. Thank you!
Posted by: Kris | March 5th, 2009 at 6:14 am
Hi Martha,
It is always sad to see trees go and plants too. We have various kinds of pine trees in south Florida but one kind in particular gets the funniest looking haircut when a hurricane comes through. I think it’s the sugar pine with its long straight branches. One side will get shaved off about half way down and then a couple of years later the branches start to fill in a bit. Unfortunately, it is years before they look the same again if another hurricane doesn’t come along and shave off the other side.
Ludacris is a real nice guy and I’m glad you enjoyed your lunch with him. Paella sounds good too.
You have over 40,700 followers on Twitter now! I’m trying to picture that many comments on this blog. Crash! Can’t wait to see your babies on the show in one and a half hours! Trish
Posted by: Trish | March 5th, 2009 at 6:28 am
You keep such great company! I am really a big fan of all your projects. Keep the faith!
Posted by: Ethel Powers | March 5th, 2009 at 6:51 am
At first, I was like, oooo, did the fallen tree clear the fence, but nope - I could see that the split rails got nabbed. Aaaa, your grounds guys can put in some new rails, lickety-split! [no pun intended] Except for mulch maybe, this wood isn't much use, especially to burn in a fireplace, as pine will gum up a chimney quicker than... Then, THAT potentially causes a fire... Ai yai yai!
Your little black pines will come along...they're a stronger species than the white pines and won't break up so easily. In a couple years, they'll really start to take off. It's good that you had the foresight to implement them in the understory of the others. To me, it already looks beautiful (young as they are) and well-planned for perpetuity.
I'm going to now head over to 'The Daily Wag' to see if my Edgar =^..^= (or maybe Mandy =^..^=) has posted anything this morning. Mandy wanted to start twittering (since she just l-o-v-e-s the birdies and is a veryVERY friskyfritter), but I told her a firm no (and that was that - she obeyed [for once])! [giggle]
(...okay, here I go...)
(...yes, I'm goofy, but hey, I'm happy and well-adjusted. My compliments and concerns are always genuinely from my heart.)
=^..^=
mrrrow
"When you rise in the morning, form a resolution to make the day a happy one to a fellow creature."--Sydney Smith
Posted by: Cindy Bricker | March 5th, 2009 at 7:03 am
I really loved when he was on your show. I like how he told the audience at home that you love to listen to hip-hop during the commercial breaks...just another reason why u r so cool
Posted by: amy | March 5th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Hi Martha, Sorry that you lost that beautiful white pine and can't wait to see what you do with the wood. Your photos are once again stunning! Even though you have drifty snow, I love the beautiful blue sky as a backdrop for these photos. Too bad about the fence, but I'm sure no one escaped and now your groundskeepers have a new task. I love the photo of you and Ludicris! Looks like you were having a 'delicious' time. Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | March 5th, 2009 at 9:46 am
Sorry to hear about the tree. The photograph does it good honor.
Posted by: Charan Sachar | March 5th, 2009 at 12:41 pm
Martha,
Not only do I think you are winning the contest of the most life experiences and having an amazing life, but you are up on almost everything and are willing to share....so until I can do the same, I'm sticking with you!
P.S. My son in law bought a farm in Athens Ga for the lumber, so the white pine entry got my attention first and foremost!
Posted by: Mer | March 5th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
MARTHA WHAT A NICE SMILE YOU HAVE ; ) ER COULD YOU ASK LUDA TO TAKE A PIX WITH ME IN NYC SO I CAN SMILE LIKE YOU ? J/K ~TINA~
Posted by: tinalubmedo | March 5th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Hi Martha (twitter queen...you hit 50,000 followers tonight),
Do you plan on inviting Ludacris back again soon? If so, I hope you have him do a craft instead of having him cook.
I took some photos of wild turkeys that hang around in my yard. They sleep in the tops of trees at night and they come down from the trees around 8 a.m.
Enjoy these wild turkey photos!
~Gloria
Posted by: Gloria Brown, Winterport, Maine | March 5th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Martha, I love that you hang out with Ludacris.
Posted by: Melissa | March 5th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
Hello there Martha,
How are you? I hope that you are fine. Thanks for getting in touch with my website on twitter, that is very nice of you. I hopre to keep in touch with you. My website above has my song attached to it. I hope that you like it.
God Bless take care
Yours sincerely
Anne-Marie Chase
Posted by: Anne-Marie Chase | March 6th, 2009 at 2:24 am
I have dreams about cake ever since I stopped eating carbs.
Posted by: Linda Crispell | March 6th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
hie martha nice to hear that you enjoyed lunch and dinner yesterday nicee luck..........
Posted by: Rhodwel | March 7th, 2009 at 12:07 am
Hi Martha,
I love the farm photo.
I can't wait for spring!
Posted by: Wolfbernz | March 7th, 2009 at 4:13 am
hi martha i am really happy with u talk show i hope can see u at malaysia thank for u idea given to us. thank by zamri (zaraquest.blogspot.com)kuching,sarawak, MALAYSIA.
Posted by: zamri zainuddin | March 7th, 2009 at 5:15 am
Martha sending prayers and hugs to those affected by the explosion. Hope they recover okay.It is just a tragic thing to lose so many
wonderful animals. HUGS ^J^
Posted by: CAROL | March 7th, 2009 at 7:40 am
Hey Martha....my name is Raquel , I´m brazilian fashion journalist and I´d like to say that I really love your work , specially your incredible website. I´m a huge fan of your.
Congratulations , you´ve got an amazing and isnpiring website.
Raquel
Posted by: RAQUEL SANNAZZARO | March 7th, 2009 at 12:24 pm
martha, just got back from a cooking class with a group of friends. we call ourselves the "dining divas" and your name is always coming up when we speak of entertaining, cooking or gardening. we started our group a few years ago by going through a cookbk and fixing every recipe from the bk and decorating our table together and discussing the way we made it, what we would do different, etc.
i just wanted to tell you how much we admire you. you are a survivor. a very beautiful person, a true inspiration for women...thank you for sharing all of your knowledge with us! anne rhoades
Posted by: anne rhoades | March 7th, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Looks like you both had a fun relaxing lunch.
Sorry to hear your tree didn't survive, hopefully you will use the pine in some creative projects.
Have A Happy Day,
Kris
Posted by: kris | March 8th, 2009 at 4:42 am
hI mARTHA, was so very sorry to hear about your beautiful dog. When I looked at his picture I couldnt stop crying. I just love your two other dogs. Also love their blog. Love your show and watch everyday. Take good care SPHEFFER NH
Posted by: Sandra Pheffer | March 11th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Man Martha is a G 4real. She be kickin it with Snoop, Luda. Whos next, Suge Knight?!?
Posted by: Bone | March 12th, 2009 at 5:20 am
Wow, Martha could be there for anybody :p
Dear Martha,
We really hope to see you come to Malaysia.Your inspiring story really helps thousands of people (and yeah my mom too..)
best regards
Posted by: twenty-six | March 16th, 2009 at 2:00 am