One Last Warm Week Before Halloween Night

Good morning, neighbors. We're sending you into the last week of October with a gift from the sky. Mondays through Friday look sunny, with afternoons in the high 70s, climbing to about 79 by Friday. The nights stay cool, in the upper 40s and low 50s. That's a good week to open the windows at midday and shut them again by supper. Keep a light sweater by the door for the evenings.

The weather turns toward the weekend. Saturday brings a slight chance of showers, with rain likely that night. Sunday looks wet, with a breeze from the south. Anything you want to do outdoors, from errands to porch sitting, is best done in the next five days.

A mild week is also a kind one for stretching your legs. A slow lap around the block in the afternoon sun gives you a little vitamin D and a lift in mood. If walking isn't in the cards, pull a chair to a sunny window or the porch. Try ten slow shoulder rolls, then circle your ankles one foot at a time. It all counts, and none of it is homework.

The lawn is also winding down. Kentucky mowers usually put the mower away sometime between late October and November, so this dry stretch may bring the last cut of the year. If you have no yard, a porch pot is a fine substitute. Pull out the tired summer flowers and give the pot a fresh top layer of soil. It will look neat all winter, and spring will have a head start.

Down at ground level, the winter birds are settling in. Look under your feeder, or on a sunny patch of grass, for white-throated sparrows. They have a bright white bib and a yellow spot by each eye. They scratch at the ground with both feet at once, and they love millet. A sprinkle of seed on the ground or a low tray will bring them close. A chair by the window is a front-row seat, with no yard needed.

For supper this week, we like a sheet-pan meal. Slice one sweet potato and a handful of Brussels sprouts, then toss them with a little oil, salt and pepper. Tuck in a few slices of smoked sausage and roast it all at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes, turning once. That makes a plate for one or two, with no stirring and one pan to wash. The leftovers reheat nicely tomorrow, and the sweet potatoes hold up well. If you're carving a pumpkin, rinse the seeds, toss them with a pinch of salt, and roast them on the same pan for a crunchy snack.

Saturday is Halloween, and this year it lands on a weekend. Some of you will have a bowl of candy by the door, and some will have a quiet evening. Both are lovely. If trick-or-treaters aren't your thing, a porch light off is a perfectly good answer. If you're on your own, here's a small way to mark the night. Think of the best costume you ever wore as a child, or the strangest one you ever saw, and say it out loud to whoever is nearby. Hillcrest Avenue is known around town for a busy trick-or-treat evening from 5 to 9, with plenty to see even from the sidewalk. Big Four Station Park is hosting a Boo Fest on Monday evening. Pack a raincoat for Saturday, just in case.

One more thing for the weekend. Clocks fall back at 2 a.m. Sunday, November 1, so you get an extra hour of sleep. Change them before bed Saturday night and enjoy it. It's also a handy reminder to change the batteries in your smoke detector.

This week in Louisville history: on October 30, 1870, three men walked out of Quinn Chapel and boarded a Central Passenger streetcar at Tenth and Walnut. Robert Fox, his brother Samuel and Horace Pearce paid their fares and took seats in a car where Black men weren't allowed inside. They were pulled off, jailed and fined five dollars. Fox then took the matter to federal court, where a jury awarded each man fifteen dollars. More protests followed, and in time the streetcar companies agreed that everyone could ride. Nearly a century before the better-known bus protests, these men sat down and held their ground. If you remember a streetcar or bus ride from your own childhood, we'd love to hear about it.

A word before we go. Autumn light like this doesn't last, and you don't have to do anything grand to enjoy it. Notice it on the kitchen floor in the afternoon, or in the leaves on the street. Wherever you are this week, we hope someone waves at you, and that you wave back.

— Harvey & Dot