Happy Wednesday, Nashville readers!

☀️ Today's weather: Sunny, with a high of 86 and a low of 58.

Today’s newsletter is 971 words — a 3.5-minute read.

Tennessee death row inmate Christa Pike was conscious and talking yesterday, her attorneys said, nearly a week after the state gave her two doses of lethal injection drugs that were meant to kill her.

The latest: Pike's attorneys said her prognosis following her "medically unprecedented" recovery is still unknown.

• "At a minimum, we expect a long recovery," the legal team said in a statement.
• Pike is still receiving critical care, and she is "handcuffed and shackled" to her hospital bed, they said.

What they're saying: "We are incredibly grateful to the first responders and the medical team at the hospital who treated Christa like a human and have provided exceptional care to her," Pike's attorneys said.

Catch up quick: Pike, who was sentenced to death for the 1995 murder of 19-year-old Colleen Slemmer, was scheduled to be executed last Wednesday. But after two doses of the lethal injection drug pentobarbital, she was still breathing.

• An ambulance took her from the prison to a nearby hospital for life-saving care.
• Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee ordered an external investigation to determine what went wrong. He called off another execution scheduled for December.

What's next: Pike's attorneys plan to speak to reporters this morning following a court hearing related to her case.

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The Nashville Symphony's new CEO, Mark Tillinger, told the Nashville Business Journal that restructuring is still needed after Oracle's season-saving $10 million infusion, which kept the organization from furloughing musicians and staffers.

What he's saying: "This gift made a tremendous impact on the symphony by allowing us to restart the season," Tillinger said of the Oracle partnership, per the NBJ.

• "But ... it did not fix the structural challenges that led us to having to halt the season a week ago."

Zoom in: Tillinger said the symphony would "be looking at a variety of ways to maximize the revenue side of the equation. And at the same time, we'll look at the size and structure we need to be aligned with that revenue model."

Read the full interview

🤘 Punk rock legend Henry Rollins is opening a two-day exhibit in the Wedgewood-Houston neighborhood celebrating punk and hardcore music.

• Rollins, former frontman of the beloved group Black Flag, collected rare flyers, artwork and other punk rock relics for many years. (WPLN)

💍 FBI Director Kash Patel and Nashville singer Alexis Wilkins are engaged, the couple announced. (Tennessean)

🍃 Tennessee lawmakers discussed the possibility of a medical marijuana program last week, but the TBI staunchly opposed pursuing such a plan. (Tennessee Lookout)

If you envision tiptoeing through tulips or dancing among daffodils next spring, you have a few weeks to get those bulbs in the ground.

Why it matters: Spring-flowering bulbs need cool soil but also enough time to establish roots before the ground freezes. Planting too early or too late can hurt their chances for a strong bloom.

State of play: Nashville gardeners should generally wait until late October or early November, after the soil cools, before planting spring bulbs, per University of Tennessee horticulture guidance.

Zoom out: In colder states, particularly in the North, gardeners are racing against the ground freeze and generally should plant by early October.

Yes, but: Bulb type matters, too: Daffodils generally tolerate warmer climates better than tulips.

Country queen Reba McEntire is opening her vault — and five decades of country music history — for a Nashville charity auction later this month.

What's happening: Clothes, jewelry, scripts and other memorabilia pulled from across McEntire's career will hit the auction block on Oct. 23 at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium.

• Proceeds will benefit the Reba McEntire Fund, which supports several local and national nonprofits.

Why it matters: The items trace the rise of one of country music's biggest voices, from her path to superstardom in the 1980s through her self-titled sitcom and her latest stint on "The Voice."

Between the lines: McEntire's daring and dazzling fashions, which form the rhinestone-studded spine of the collection, established McEntire as an heir apparent to Dolly Parton.

• She set new expectations for a country roadshow, bringing high-end production values to her tours. She sometimes wore a dozen outfits during a single concert.

What she's saying: Style became a pivotal part of McEntire's appeal and, she says, a secret superpower.

• "I'm a third-generation rodeo brat. I grew up in jeans and boots and all hand-me-downs," she says in a video promoting the auction.
• "When you put on a shiny outfit, you just feel better. You just feel more special, and it just elevates the attitude, elevates the confidence. And that's why I like to wear sparkly, shiny stuff."

Zoom in: Items in the collection include the emerald green dress she wore while co-hosting the 2020 CMA Awards with Darius Rucker and an evening gown that stunned on the red carpet of the 2000 ACM Awards.

• There's also the rhinestone-covered hot-pink suit she wore on "The Voice" in 2023. And a 1989 dress she nicknamed "the shower curtain."
• Each is estimated to draw more than $1,000.

For "Reba" devotees: McEntire's personal script from the sitcom's second season premiere is estimated at $500-$700.

• Other lots include awards, boots, belt buckles and an outfit from a Bob Hope Christmas special.

The bottom line: "After 50 years … now it's time for them to move on to someplace else to find a new home," McEntire says.

• "They'll have the story, they'll have the outfit and they'll know that I did wear 'em."

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Our picks:

Nate's song of the day is "Love In Every Direction" by Smidley.

Adam is reading "East of Eden" before watching the miniseries.

This newsletter was edited by Jen Burkett.