Thursday, October 11, 2012

Nuns, Saints and Dog Biscuit Recipes

The Following is an excerpt from my book K-9 Nation (Baking for my best friend)

These days I walk a Sheltie, 2  Jack Russell's and a Chihuahua through the streets of the Highland Park neighborhood in Saint Paul.

W/O a doubt, my evening walk with the pack is my best part of the day.

Not only do my little guys get exercise, but I get a chance to decompress and think about chess, baseball, and building the perfect bread kingdom.

On the backswing towards home, I like to head down Hamline Avenue and stop by Sister Rosalind's house.

If you don't know her, give me a minute to brag her up.

During the 1980s she opened a massage center on Grand Avenue in Saint Paul. The vice squad shut her down for not having a license.  They thought she was running a brothel. When the newspapers got a hold of the story, you can imagine the headlines.

How many Nuns get busted on the hunch they are running a home of ill repute?

After getting her license in order, Sister Rosalind used her notoriety to expand her massage empire.

She calls it her ministry, and it includes massage schools, wellness centers, and clinics in Minnesota and North Dakota. These days a lot of her publicity comes from giving massages in the outfield bleachers during independent minor league baseball games at the Saint Paul Saint's Stadium.

The pack and I love Sister Rosalind for her great stories and insights. I can't count on how many summer evenings she's educated me about the Saints of heaven in her front yard class room.

Did you know, by the way that Otto of Bamberg is the patron saint of rabies?

Sister Rosalind's ecclesiastical knowledge is matched by a big dose of down to earth common sense. One evening when the pack and I were visiting her, my mutts started getting restless.

Rather than finishing her thoughts about a saint, Sister Rosalind asked me this question.....

"Do you know why you spend so much time with dogs?"

I wasn't sure if it was one of those Nun trick questions, so I kept my mouth shut.

finally she answered for me....

"When you spend time with God's creations, its just another form of prayer."

End of story -

Sometimes people wonder how the world will view their legacy, but the older I get, the less I wonder about such things.

Now days I like to give thanks for the good fortune that has drifted into my world.

Recently Sister Rosalind has moved to an assisted living facility for Nuns and some family has purchased her house.

Almost immediately these people dug up her garden, added a second floor to the existing structure, and.....

And tore down the Saint Francis shrine I built for her.

It was in her front yard and when the Catholics walked their dogs by this shrine, they would sign themselves and ask Saint Francis to protect their animals.

Those were such happy days.


Sister Rosalind Sainted Biscuits -

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup corn meal

1/4 cup cracked wheat

1/2 cup Danish fontina cheese (cubed)

1/2 cup olive oil

1 egg

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 comment:

  1. For those who don't know, Klecko's beloved dog Peanut breathed her last earthly air yesterday ... this that you just read was inspired by that.

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