The First Lady of Iron, Abbye "Pudgy" Stockton, 88, died in Los Angeles of Alzheimer's disease on June 31, 2006.

Another one of those trail-blazing women, I had never heard of Abbye, but read her obituary with interest as she was someone to admire. My mother never would have agreed because she was opposed to women exercising. "A woman doesn't want muscles," she would say. She worried about a granddaughter who ran track! I'm sure that was a common opinion in the 1930's too when "Pudgy" began her career at 19 as a pioneer weightlifter.

Abbye is a pivotal figure in the history of women's exercise. We can either blame her or be grateful for her strength. Because of her, women realized they could be physically strong and not lose their femininity. Her fame came at an important time when women were being called upon to take over positions in the work force during World War II.

I remember reading once that Marilyn Monroe lifted weights! Maybe Abbye encouraged Marilyn to build her incredible body the guys dreamed about! Abbye was the Queen of Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, made famous in the 1940's because of weight-lifting and gymnastics demonstrations. In 1948, she owned a women's gym called the Salon of Figure Development in Los Angeles. She was called "America's Barbelle," showing off her impressive shapely female body wherever she could. "Pudgy," who acquired the nickname as a young child, could lift a 100 pounds over her head while her husband lifted her! And she was only 5'1" and weighed 115 pounds!

If they don't have a weight-lifting room in Heaven, I'm sure they soon will! Thanks Abbye Stockton for breaking the body mold for women. The Iron Beauty would laugh at my puny eight-pound weights!

Lately, I've been observing people who seem to stray a bit from the norm. They are all around us --- sharing the air --- and making their own path through the wilderness of life.

After we had set up our folding chairs to watch the local fireworks display, hoping those final cars would stop driving around blinding people, we relaxed. Actually, those cars never stop driving around looking for a better spot, until they've missed the whole show. I don't know why they do that, maybe the fireworks celebration isn't even on their minds. They're cruising with their music sooooo loud --- riding dirty?

Anyway, a large group of adults and children came up and settled in next to us. I gathered it was two families. No chairs or anything --- except one woman carried a sauce pan .... and a long-handled spoon. Strange. Like they left the house while she was in the middle of cooking something. Dinner perhaps? Well, no, because she was the only one eating from this mysterious concoction. I did hear her ask her husband if he wanted some. No, he said, you eat it. Some what? I wondered, trying the entire time to figure what the heck she was eating. I tried to get a peek, but, sorry folks, it didn't happen.

The kids were cute and one little girl found the fireworks too loud and sought refuge in her mother's arms so the woman put the pan down on the sidewalk next to me. Nope, I still couldn't tell what it was that couldn't be left at home for the Fourth of July fireworks.

So there you are --- a nothing tale about a teflon pot that celebrated Independence Day with me.

America, The Beautiful Lyrics

by Katharine Lee - 1913

O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!

O beautiful for pilgrim feet, Whose stern impassion'd stress A thoroughfare for freedom beat Across the wilderness! America! America! God mend thine ev'ry flaw, Confirm thy soul in self-control, Thy liberty in law!

O beautiful for heroes proved In liberating strife, Who more than self their country loved, And mercy more than life! America! America! May God thy gold refine Till all success be nobleness, And ev'ry gain divine!

O Beautiful for patriot dream That sees beyond the years Thine alabaster cities gleam, Undimmed by human tears! America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood From sea to shining sea!

*** Our friends like us FAT! They sabotage us at every chance to keep us the way we are. We've known that, but medical science finally understands our problem. I knew it already!

*** If you need a case for getting those Botox injections, now you have it! Botox use has been found to actually help the clinically depressed. Everyone knows that looking good makes one feel good! All I need is a note from my doctor?

*** Alzheimer's and Dementia start when a person is in the early 50's, normally between ages 55 and 64. And the real kicker: Those funny "Senior Moments" may really be Alzheimer's disease. Duh?

*** Everyone's busy these days! Now we know it's true --- we have the best living standards ever --- but 25% of us say we have no real friends or confidants. So that's why blogging in the Stream is so successful!!!

*** Now it's believed second-hand smoke IS really BAD! Makes me happier that I quit smoking years ago. **Doing superiority dance** 

*** The Dairy Council has been pushing their product, but it seems that low-fat dairy may decrease blood pressure. Yeah --- Ice cream is in!!

*** After drinking gallons of green tea, now medical science says six cups of coffee a day can ward off Diabetes 2. Starbucks, anyone?

*** More news suggests homosexuality has a biological basis because men with several older brother have an increased chance of being gay!  Does having lots of sisters make me more or less girlier?

*** I laughed at the recent list of ten reasons why we are fatter in these modern times --- like living in air-conditioned comfort --- and thought there might be some truth to it. I can think of other ways we no longer burn the calories which MUST add up to a weight gain! Okay, warm up the stationary bike!

Stay healthy this week, Streamers!