Martha Stewart's defense website is reporting that, as anticipated, she has reported to prison in West Virginia. In an open letter to her supporters just posted online, she says:

Dear Friends,

By the time you read this, I will have reported to a minimum-security prison in Alderson, West Virginia, to begin serving my five-month sentence.

As I announced in September, although my lawyers remain very confident in the strength of my appeal and will continue to pursue it on my behalf, I have decided to serve my sentence now because I want to put this nightmare behind me as quickly as possible for the good of my family and my company.

While I am away, my updates here will be less frequent, if not altogether impossible. But please know this change is only an unfortunate reflection of my current circumstances, and in no way diminishes my commitment to my life’s work or to the friends, colleagues, customers and supporters who make it possible.

Today marks the beginning of the end of a terrible experience, and I am now one step closer to getting this awful time behind me. I deeply appreciate all of the support I have received throughout this ordeal from those people closest to me and from many thousands of well-wishers around the world.

While I am serving my sentence, my attorneys will continue to pursue my appeal. They believe it is a strong appeal that presents very serious legal issues, and the brief will be filed shortly with the court.

Over the next five months, Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia will be in the good hands of its talented management team and creative staff, and every day I am away, I will look forward to rejoining them to pursue my life’s work. That work is all about creating beautiful, practical and educational magazines and television programs as well as inspiring and useful products for the home.

I’ll see you again in March.