A Week Made For Walking

Good morning, friends. This week looks like a gift: sunshine every single day, with afternoons starting in the low 70s on Monday and settling into the low 80s from Wednesday through Saturday. The mornings are another story. Monday night dips to 46 and Tuesday night to 49, so keep a sweater by the door early in the week and open the windows once the afternoon warms up. A few showers may drift in Saturday night, so plan any outdoor errands for earlier in the day.

That brings us to Saturday, October 10, which is National Walk to a Park Day. Saturday is forecast mostly sunny and 81, about as good as a walking day gets. The idea is simple: stroll, roll, or amble to a green space close to home and take in the fall air. Louisville is full of them, from big hillside parks to the little neighborhood ones with a single good bench. Ten unhurried minutes counts.

If walking any distance is a stretch, a bench in the sun works just as well. So does a porch chair with some slow ankle circles, shoulder rolls, and a few marches in place. Sunshine tends to lift the mood and gives you a little vitamin D, and a friendly nod from a passing neighbor does the rest. Bring a friend if you like, or enjoy the quiet on your own. Either is a fine way to spend a Saturday.

For supper this week, try skillet pork chops with apples and onions, which makes enough for two. Season two bone-in chops with salt, pepper, and a pinch of thyme, then brown them in a skillet for about four minutes per side and set them aside. Slice one onion and two apples into the same pan and let them soften for five minutes. Add a splash of apple cider, nestle the chops back in, cover, and simmer about ten minutes until cooked through. A baked sweet potato goes nicely alongside. The leftovers reheat well for lunch the next day.

Out in the yard, those cool nights matter to houseplants. Tropical plants that spent the summer outdoors can be bothered by nights in the 40s, well before any frost, so this is a good week to bring them in. If you only have a pot by the door or a balcony, carry it to your sunniest window and you're done. Garlic planting season opens around October 8 in Kentucky, and tulips and daffodils go in from mid-October. This week is a good time to pick a spot and choose your bulbs. With so little rain in the forecast, give new plantings and evergreens a drink.

At the feeder, ruby-throated hummingbirds are still passing through, though most will be gone by late October. Keep your nectar fresh and the feeder up, since a few late travelers will be glad of it. Dark-eyed juncos and white-throated sparrows, our winter regulars, are arriving in numbers about now. A little seed scattered on the ground or in a low tray will bring them close. Hawks are also migrating through Kentucky until mid-October, so glance skyward on those sunny afternoons.

A piece of Kentucky history falls this week too. On October 8, 1862, about 16,000 Confederates and 22,000 Union troops fought at Perryville, the largest and bloodiest battle ever fought in Kentucky. Both armies were desperate for water in a dry autumn. Some Union soldiers had marched out of Louisville only a week earlier in pursuit. Bragg pulled back that night, and Kentucky stayed in Union hands for the rest of the war. If your family has stories about Perryville, or about visiting the battlefield, we'd love to hear them.

There's plenty to enjoy close to home. Harvest Homecoming in New Albany runs through Sunday, with its booths open Thursday through Sunday. The University of Louisville hosts its Bullitt Lecture in Astronomy Thursday evening at seven, and the clear skies this week should suit the subject. Next Monday, October 12, is the second Monday of the month, so expect some holiday hours.

If this week feels quiet for you, remember that a wave from the porch or a hello at the park is a real way of showing up. Take your time, take the sunshine, and let the day be as slow as it wants to be.

— Harvey & Dot