Three Beautiful Things 03-06-2026: Rocket Writes a Letter, Friday Yakkin' at The Lounge, Gibbs Likes Broth

 1. When I first met him in South Warren at Whitworth College in 1974, Rich didn't have a nickname. At some point, though, he was christened "Badger". Then at some point (after Whitworth) he became known as "Rocket". 

Today (or was it Thursday?) I was excited to see that Rich "Badger" "Rocket" Brock had sent me a second multi-page correspondence via snail mail. I think Rich would like to hand write his letters, but I'd have to consult with an expert in decoding the handwriting of those suffering from dysgraphia to read them. 

Fortunately, the USPS could read what the chicken he borrowed from a neighbor scratched out as my mailing address on the envelope, so his missive arrived. 

Rich and his wife Amy have now endured two Middle Tennessee winters, winters that have been much more punishing than they expected when they moved from northern California.  Ice storms. Power outages. Snow, Freezing temperatures. Working from home. And soon it will be tornado season. 

I think Rocket's next nickname should be Crockett. 

Like Davy, he's become a heroic Tennessee figure. 

2. Speaking of nicknames, a lot of people around the Silver Valley, especially those who worked with him, know Ed as "Rooster". He's always been Ed to me, but when Ed and I met in The Lounge yesterday afternoon, some greeted him as Ed, others called him Rooster. 

Ed's had his own trials to endure this winter with power outage and a backed up sewer system, but none of that was on the table today. We yakked about current events in our lives, including our loss of Bruce "Lars" Larsen on Monday. 

Ed had a good evening ahead of him. Spaghetti awaited him at home and after a couple of beers, he mounted his horse and galloped to Walmart to buy some garlic bread for him and Nancy to enjoy with their pasta. 

3. I left The Lounge, paid utility bills, and was determined not to go to the grocery store. 

Good decision. 

I arrived home, realized I had a quart of chicken broth, a couple of strips of bacon, a whole white onion, a few chicken tenders, a quarter of a bag of frozen green beans, another of frozen corn, and fresh russet potatoes, mushrooms, carrots, and celery. 

I fried the bacon and sauteed onion slices in the grease.

I poured the chicken broth in a pot and as it heated up it thawed and cooked the chicken and turned the vegetables tender.

At some point, I poured the cooked onions and grease into the soup pot and broke up the bacon slices into pieces and tossed them in the pot. 

I salted it. Peppered it. 

A great dinner and, as a bonus, I put some of the soup broth in Gibbs' food bowl. 

He's been finicky lately about his wet food and his pickiness disappeared once he smelled the soup broth combined with his food and he gobbled up his dinner.