Pasties and Church Ladies

Rumor has it that a certain mail carrier in Range country wears the tattoo of a pasty close to her heart. I have seen her, but I haven't seen it.
A pasty is a meat pie in the shape of a half moon. It has been around since Biblical times. Shakespeare has written of them. Traditionally it includes onions, potatoes, rutabagas, carrots, and meat. Cornish miners - their wives, actually - are thought to be the originators of this hearty and primal pastry, which when carried into the depths of a mine would heat and nourish the body, and light the soul.
They are a big deal in Iron Range country in Northern Minnesota. Though the Cuyuna Range has been gone for more than half a century, pasties remain. Church ladies in Crosby are taking pasty orders for their annual fundraiser. You order ahead by telephone and pick them up at church on Wednesdays in October. They are hot and fresh and homemade, seasoned with more than the salt and pepper that the recipe calls for. I called yesterday ( wed) to order two for next wednesday. The church lady, God bless her, told me that they are already full for next week, but that if there were any cancellations, she would give me a call.
" What,"I said, unbelieving, " how many are you making?"
"Six hundred," she said. I am on the list as 601 and 602. I do not expect a call. I would have a better chance, I think, with the mail carrier.