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100 Circles ‘Round the Sun
Written By: Donna Rhodes | Issue: 2016/05 - May
There have been many famous Marthas… Martha Washington, White, Stewart. But in Highlands, the real star around which all other Martha’s orbit is Martha Parish.
May 16 marks Martha’s own 100th circle around the sun. With great pleasure The Laurel celebrates our Martha’s artistic contributions to the Plateau. Everything she has accomplished, from running a household, gardening and landscaping, drawing and painting, fine needlecraft to volunteering to sharing wisdom and nurturing friendships has been done with artful elegance. She is a Renaissance woman.
Sue Blair, Founder of Carpe Diem Farms, Martha’s friend of 33 years has this to say, “Martha is a woman of great passion and talent, who had a competitive spirit on the golf course, always aspires to her personal best, is an incredible friend, supportive of others’ dreams and aspirations and so much more.”
Over the decades Martha served as a docent at The Bascom, brought tours of people to Carpe Diem, participated at Highlands United Methodist Church, welcomed visitors to events; championed young women; graciously shared her art expertise; and filled in wherever her charm and grace were required. Her contributions to the arts, charities, and service organizations are immeasurable. She has had a huge impact on sculpting the character of Highlands.
At 100 she is still going strong. Blair says, “Every Wednesday you can find Martha, generally the first to arrive at art class at the activities center at Chestnut Hill. She continues to out-paint us all. She is simply remarkable. Flowers, landscapes, horses, cats, and now she is painting houses. She takes a little artistic license with the landscapes adding flowering bushes and plants where there were none.”
Martha’s drive to make the world a better place is summed up in this final quote from Blair. “Promise, a horse born at Carpe Diem, met Martha when he was just two days old. Martha did a watercolor of him, her first experience painting a horse. It became the ‘hang tag’ for our 100 percent organic compost which Martha named Promising Results.” Volunteering led to a painting which led to a naming which led to a designing which led to a successful enterprise …all by Martha’s generous hand … and a lick and a Promise from a four-legged inspiration! And she shrugs it off as all in a day’s play (not work).
And that’s why Martha is a star. Happy 100th, Marvelous Martha!
