Sunday, October 22, 2017

October 22, 2017

Fall is coming to an end and so is the garden.  I have left some things that are still blooming out in the garden for the late migrating butterflies and also other pollinators but most everything else is cut down. 


I have done more "re-decorating" of the garden by removing the two big conifers at the back of the yard.  They were oversized and I decided to put another concord grapevine in that corner.  I cut down both conifers but left the trunks back there to act as the stakes for the grape trellis.  It looks very strange back there with them gone.  In the spring I will be taking the tops off the oversized boxwoods and trimming them pretty far back.  Those boxwoods have kind of taken over everything.

Like most of the rest of the year, I have still been spending a goodly amount of time at my restoration site.  The task at this time of year is mainly seed collecting and planting.  I did spend a day out at HCB chainsawing and stacking trees that contractors cut down and just left whole. 



With those trees down, it is hard to get in there to work on things as one is constantly tripping and getting hung up. 

I also have been doing some chainsaw work at LaPorte Rd access as we try to break through an old fence row to make it possible for haying equipment to get in.  Parts of the site are to be used as a wild hayfield until it can be gotten to as far as restoration.





Right now I don't really have any Star Wars costume projects.  About the only thing I have worked on the last couple of weeks was a Jyn Erso blaster that I had the Mokena Library 3D print for me.  There was some rough parts that were difficult to sand and fill but all in all, I guess it came out ok. 




I also decided to make a holster for the blaster so that I could use it from time to time.

I have learned a lot about 3D printing during this process and what one can and can not expect.  It is pretty cool to be able to just find files and have the library print them for just the cost of materials, but there are limits to what can be printed to really look good as a prop when you do not control the design or printing process.



I have gotten out and done a few Star Wars costume events the last couple of weeks.  With the new movie coming out in December, there was the usual toy release at midnight 8-31.  I signed up last minute to do the toy release at the Toys R Us in Orland Park.  Years ago, there would be a couple hundred people at the midnight toy release events, but with a movie every  year, it is not such a big deal so there were only about 40 people in line at the event. 


Also, there was not too much to get excited about in the way of toys.  The only thing I ended up buying was a Poe Dameron black series helmet to wear with my Resistance Pilot costume.  I painted it up a bit so it did not look like it came straight from the box.  All in all, it was a nice night to get out and I did not have to get up for work the next day...which was a plus.





On 10-1-17 I went to the Walk For Wishes event in Busse Woods up on the north side.  It was also another great weather day.  Cool in the morning and lots of sunshine.  Last year when we went to this event it was at the request of the family that we granted a wish for.  This year, we were strictly there for "entertainment" of the crowd.  Last year we also walked the route at the request of William's family, but this year we just stayed for the start of the walk.


I wore the Resistance Pilot for this event also simply because with the new movie coming out and Poe and the Resistance Pilots being a part of the movie, I figured it would be a costume that at least a few people would be interested in or recognize. 




Lastly, on October 15th (my 66th Birthday), I did the Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk in St. Charles.  I really tried hard to fundraise this year and ended up with a donation total of $3,150.00.  I ended up the participant who raised the most funds for this walk.  The team I was a part of, which are all Star Wars costumers came in second place for overall fundraising.  The team did a great job fundraising.  We ended up with over $5,000.00 in donations and the crowd is always very receptive of us.  Where a few of us Rebels did do the 5K, many of the other costumed members stayed near the start/finish line and handed out water, snacks, and fist pumps. 

The weather was pretty god awful this time.  It was cold and raining driving to the event and there had been a pretty huge storm the night before.  Thankfully, it did not rain when we needed to walk but the sky was threatening and the wind was really brisk.  This was one time that I was glad I had on a costume that is really hot.  Again, I wore the Resistance Pilot costume.  I have been getting my "money's worth" out of that costume the last several weeks.  The costume is generally too hot to wear to many events, but I have gotten lucky that the last events have been good in the weather department.

This past Friday, I went downtown by train to "interview" for a new volunteer position.  Starting 9-27-17 I will be a volunteer at the Field Museum in the "wet insects" collection in the basement of the Field.  I will be doing mainly just mundane cataloging and entering of the specimens into the database.  I toured a bit of the Field with the insect collections manager and you can NOT believe how much of the Field's collection is in huge vaults.  Some of it, they do not even know what they have.  It was a LOT of walking as I first walked from the house to the train station in Mokena.  Then I walked from the LaSalle Street Metra station to the Field.  Then wandered the Field for a couple hours, walked back to the train station and then back home. Since even taking the train is pricey, I decided to apply for a reduced fare card with the RTA.  It cost $14.00 round trip to take the train downtown from Mokena, so supposedly, I can get a 50% off rate for being a senior citizen.  That will help a lot.  Should be interesting.