So Good Friday is tomorrow...Easter is on Sunday...Today is Thursday April 5, 2012...I have begun the armature for Essence of daffodil in honour of the spring season & all that it brings...Also, the Bee sculpture needs a flower to keep it company...This is a no-weld design...My invention...I used 10-24 galvanized steel rods...12-24 hexagonal stainless steel bolts...(I found the 10-24 bolts were a tight squeeze so I went up a size for the bolts)...1/2 inch copper strapping, the one with the holes in it that exactly fit these size rods...A black steel 3/4 inch nipple (yes it is called a nipple)...A 3/4 inch steel TEE to go in the nipple...& a 3/4 inch FLANGE to stick the nipple & the tee IN...This makes a strong armature to put cement on...Of course my next step will be to reinforce everything I have put together, checking all connections & tightening with pliers where I can...Then I tie on a screen mesh to the rods so that the cement has somewhere to lay upon...
Latest work in progress "Essence of Bee": (see how I made the armature on Blog a) page)...My Custom Ferrocement Mix is:4 parts(a part is like a tupperware dish you put 4-6 muffins in) white Portland cement (from Sutton Garden & Building Supply on Finch avenue in Toronto-who sell it in smaller bags)...2 parts Aggregate...(Now the 2 parts aggregate is in 4 parts itself, so 1/2 a part each of:*Alkaline resistant glass fibers at 3/4 inch size (from Kreitmaker near Laird & Eglinton)*Perlite (also from Sutton) (this makes it lighter but more fragile, so don't always use this)...*White Silica sand (from Sutton) (you can double up on Aragonite sand & drop this out of the mix too for greater stickiness)...*Natural Aragonite Sand( this is actually marble, but you get it in small bags atPetsmart in the reptile section-also called Calcium Carbonate sand-this was my own stroke of genius when I couldn't source crushed marble)...Ok, now to that mix you add your liquids:I am now using 1 part Eco-Sealer for Cement, a custom mix sourced from Eco-House made of Rainsil to Primasil (a 1:9 mix)...(This is the only Concrete Sealer on the planet that has Absolutely No Smell whatsoever...)(ask for Elizabeth)...Then to that I add 1 part water (with 25 % of that Acrylibond cement bonding liquid)...This is my newer ameliorated Ferrocement Mix for a really nice gooey weatherproof long lasting freezeproof concrete mix...The work is tentatively titled "Essence of Bee" thanks to Nick Nickolson a sculpture teacher who is really really great btw if you can find him...Oh...I also added some gorgeous Blue Mineral Silicate paint from Eco-Housethat is designed for cement...I am mixing it IN not on...(a little experimental)...Dusting of Gold Powder from KamaPigments.com ...Then spritzed with water...Sunday March 25th, 2012:Filled a bucket with Paul Mitchell tea Tree Oil Shampoo (I keep the gallon size on hand) & hot water, & descended with my Sham-Wow Mop (really handy for studio floors), to clean the floor of the studio...When dry the room smells like Tea Tree Oil, which is just so cool... Ok...Then I carefully put the Bee upside down into two large cardboard boxes for support, so when I get more cement I can start right away with the bottom part...(white cement in small bags is actually hard to source, I am hoping Sutton still carries it)... This morning, I spend my Googling Searching on finding Tee connectors or cross connectors to join rods together...Simultaneously almost I fantasize about welding...Though my fantasies do not burning myself or losing an eyeball to a stray spark, which is why my loving husband says I should find cold mechanical ways of joining my rods better...I am going to revisit the kite making site which is abound with weird rod connectors...Monday March 26th, 2012: Went back to Sutton Garden & Building Supply on Finch avenue at Willowdale road...As a favour, they put 8 kilograms of White Cement into a small bag for me instead of me having to buy the 40 KG bag, which I cannot carry...I also get my "Milk" there (cement bond admixture)...(ask for Warren) I am adapting my concrete mix a bit- 2 parts white cement to 1 part aggregate still, but I have dropped both the Perlite & the White Silica Sand from my mix for now...The Perlite increases fragility too much, & I'd rather up my levels of Aragonite (marble) sand than use the straight silica sand which isn't sticky... Tip: Wet your goggles or glasses & rub some regular bar soap in a film on the inside (I use Irish Spring bar)...Then let it dry...Then polish the film with a cloth...Now your googles won't fog up!!! Totally works!!!(Do this every time you use them!)... http://www.exclusivepaints.com/classic/exclusive/paints.cgi Exclusive Paints carries the respirator that I use & the replacement cartridges...It is worth the drive because Exclusive Paints sells things at a fraction of the price that anybody else does...Plus they are lovely & smart people...(ask for Aron)...(they also sell gold powder you can mix into cement, 2 part epoxy to create unbelievable shine, & no VOC paints...)http://thecementsolution.com/ This link takes you to the Reusable Concrete Mixing Bag...You can mix your concrete in it, or put smaller quantities of cement into it for easier to work with weights...(Or ask your cement dealer to put a small quantity of white cement in it inside of having to buy the giant bags...)
This evening, while the concrete was still wet, I mixed some gold powder pigment (from Kama Pigments Montreal), into some Latex Adhesive (cement bond admixture, from Sutton Garden & Building Supply on Finchave.), & gently brushed & rubbed it on with Joseph's Herban Cowboy shave brush...(he never ended up using this gorgeous shave brush, so I adopted it)...(Herban Cowboy'sshave cream in a tub is awesome by the way-for men...)...So the bottom of the Bee is done...p.s. RockBottomDeals sells the Herban Cowboy shave cream in tubs by the case for a song if you can find it...Tuesday March 27th, 2012: Pilgrimage to Petsmart at Laird & Eglinton for a 30 lb. bag of Aragonite sand($22.99 Cad) (which is actually the same as crushed marble- they use it for reptile aquariums)...Also, got a better mask, this is a Particulate Respirator with Coolflow technology- I made an executive decision today that my respirator with the two cartridges attached (those scary looking things) was way too heavy & was hurting my nose & impeding my vision & ability to work...So I went backwards to a more normal looking dust mask but that is way more sophisticated than the ones I used to use...(Canadian Tire welding section)... Last thoughts for the day are: I am thinking of sanding down the wings of the Bee a bit in places & removing all traces of colour except for the gold, so it looks closer to a metal piece...The striping of the Bee looks a little kitsch to me...Joseph, of course, the practical one, likes kitsch more than me, since he knows kitsch sells...Ah, how did I descend? When did this happen? Is this my fate, to descend into trite? I, who used to be such an abstract expressionist snob? Are the masses winning the fight? Is my integrity something I have misplaced into the abstract form mistakenly? Shopper's Drug Mart carried Life brand artificial tears (eyedrops)- I use them profusely after washing my eyes out after working...Great for sculptors & painters...I protect my eyes with the very best Oakley sunglasses I can find, rimless so not to obscure vision, shield style so it wraps around to protect from dust, & in clear lens or rose tint lens...I have Bolle Googles but they fog sometimes but mostly the pressure on my face bugs me...If you brush gold powder (Kama Pigments Montreal) into the wet cement with latex adhesive (also called "Milk" or cement bond admixture), it sticks really well & forms an integral bond with the cement...A shave brush makes a nice brushing in tool here...I use Fotoflexer.com to edit my photos by removing backgrounds-choose Geek tool & Smart Scissors in that...March 28th, 2012: My concrete mix is now just 2 parts white cement to 1 part marble sand to 1 part glass fibres to 1 part "Milk" to however much water is needed after that to make it wet enough to work with...Add mineral silicate paint (blue in this case) to that...(Eco-House.com carries incredible colours in mineral silicate paint especially for Cement)...
Just finishing tying on the mesh on top of the steel rods...I feel something about Colony Collapse Disorder is being said...I also sense that I may build a honeycomb home for the Bee...Ironically, the Bee has been sitting on top of a microwave, & when I picked it up it was almost electric itself! I wonder if real bees also feel microwaves & other Electric impulses so easily? Wondering if I am going to go with a yellow & black bee, or maybe an original colour, like Blue? Maybe Blue & white? p.s. A Neato Coolo way to isolate your subject for a picture is to go to the free Fotoflexer.com site , go to the "GEEK" function, then choose the "Smart Scissors" function...Then just click all around the subject in the picture you want to isolate...Return to your first point & it closes then when you close all the dots it says "Create Cutout"...Click that & it removes everything else from your picture...Then click "Save"...(as a jpg is fine)...
http://grovecanadagrove.blogspot.ca/2012/02/numbers.html Here is a Blog post on our GroveCanadaGrove Blog which details some of the very newest work we are doing as related to Art in Medicine... Old Photos: 1)Here is an old picture of me & Joseph...2)Here is an oil painting that sold at the Sunnybrook Hospital event to raise funds for a Trans-Cranial Doppler machine to detect strokes before they happen...(funny, I saw the latest Terminator movie after painting this painting & found the look similar)...3)Here is Jadzia a couple of years ago, stretching...She is still intact years later...(Ask us how we have survived intact bengal cats if you are curious or need help)...
p.s. http://www.thelivingcity.org/v1/
TRCA The toronto & region Conservation Authority is now referred to within The Living City Foundation...(B'elanna, our other intact lady bengal cat wants you to know that she is also an art assistant & she helped sari with the armature work too...) Ok, so this is a No-weld system I developed for ferrocement sculpture... The coated steel rods are called "10 by 24s" which refers to the diameter & the lengths are either 1 foot long or 3 foot long for the rods... So then the "nuts" which hold the rods in place, are also 10 by 24s in diameter...A nut is a small donut shaped or hexagonal shaped thing which screws onto your threaded steel rod... Copper strapping called 1/2 inch size has holes all the way through it which the rods can fit through...So to attach two rods together, slip the copper strapping hole onto one rod, then choose the next hole on the copper strapping & slip that onto the other rod...Then you have a fairly strong grip on both rods-twist or bend the rest of the strap with a pliers to hold it tight wherever you want... Copper wire is handy to hold things steady or reinforce joins or touch up any weak spots... On the feet of the rods I use no-slip furniture wheels which the rod protrudes through a tad, then I screw a nut on the bottom to hold it in place... My next step, tomorrow maybe, will be to stretch & tie the aluminum mesh cloth across the wings & body... Bee...(The name usually changes as it changes personality, but Bee for now...)(Honestly considering an extra piece to go with this called Flower- I know I know that is so original Sari...A Bee & a Flower...Groundbreaking...I mean where do you get these crazy ideas???)  These are the wings just before I changed their pose...You will see soon the full pose... (here is my answer to an interview question today:)Stop all new construction...The real estate market is going to crash & the government is heavily partnered with the developers...The condo market is going to crash soon due to overabundance, low demand, & ridiculously inflated prices...Bylaw density amendments given to developers by government have been unwise & have overdensified areas that may experience induced seismicity due to proximity to subway lines, the CN tower, lake Ontario & the thin already fragile crust near the lake...Earthquakes will become the norm as well if densities are not halted immediately...Emphasis on green space, eco-friendly options, wildlife, species at threat, will be the only way people will get through the next decade, since they are broke financially...Park space, tree planting, flowers, garden, protecting our trumpeter swans in Ontario, raccoons, pigeons, greenery, will be the most important move that government can make to gain the public's respect...The future is about ecology not economy, since that ship has sailed...Green is the new black...Sari Grove grovecanada.caMore pics & details about no-weld armature & how the work is progressing at http://groveontario.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/how-i-made-an-armature-for-ferrocement-sculpture-without-weldingmm/
Hi...I'm Sari...My last name is Grove 'cause I married a hot guy named Joseph Grove & took his name 'cause it is such a cool name...My maiden name is not super cool, in fact, I am not going to tell you it...I have really short blonde hair now...What happened was I picked up an injured raccoon off the road & three days later I got my very first case of lice & Joseph said that people with short hair have fewer problems with that so I cut off all my hair & dyed it because this was the worst thing I have ever encountered...But I look so neat with this new look that I am now thinking that God gave me lice just so I could try this new hairstyle...Yes, I am a silver lining optimist type person...Everything has a deeper meaning & even the bad stuff leads to good stuff & I never would have got there if that hadn't happened so I am grateful for that even though it was bad type of a person...That kind of thinking keeps me going...I like to laugh, with not at, & laughing is something I learned from my family to cherish like exercising & eating green things...Hmm...Ok, I am done for now...bedtime...I will come back to this tomorrow...
Well it's Saturday & God is in the details:
 Swanee has been wrapped in extra large clear bags & taped with green tape...Ready to travel without marring someone's cargo space with cement dust... So I got some important things done today:http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/browse/6/Tools/ShopEquipment/HandTrucksDollies/PRD~0600522P/Folding+Dolly+and+Hand+Truck.jsp?locale=en I got this hand truck dolly type thing...It was on sale last week online, but not on sale this week...So I kindly asked if I could have the on sale price & they said yes...Sale price was $39.99, regular price was $79.99, so I felt proud of my gumption...Ask & ye shall receive, seek & ye shall find...These Bible words have been speaking to me lately...
What this hand truck dolly thing means is that I can get my regular two 18 kilogram bags of Red Ribbon wild bird seed (sale price $13.99 ea), & instead of driving to Canadian Tire, I can just walk over with my dolly & put them on that...Which leads to this: You need bungee cords really to keep things on a tilty dolly, so I spent a while in the Auto centre testing out bungee cord sizes with the bird seed bags on the dolly...I got two bungee cords for $2.49 each that criss crossed nicely...Check mark proud again for this detailed accomplishment...Then I got the very extra largest size of clear outdoor garbage bag type things with the easy tie tops...Box of 20...Came home & went & wrapped up the Swannee sculpture & taped it all up with green tape, so that it won't cement dust up the Zipcar Ford Escape that I am going to rent to deliver the sculpture...Zipcar is so neat- you can get all different sizes & types of cars or trucks you may need...It is easy too...Totally recommend Zipcar...If you join as a business plan it's a $75 intitial fee, but then it is only $30 dollars a year per person membership- if there is more than you, like a husband...(compare with $65 a year for just little ol you personal membership)...If you plan on belonging for more than one year the business plan makes sense...Specially if you have a husband who drives too...Oh yeah! here's the neat thing...On the way out of the store, in the parking lot, I see this sign that talks about Nitrogen instead of air in your tires...So I drive down to the Auto guys & in about half an hour & $2.99 a tire I get them to replace the air in my tires with Nitrogen, which stays filled up longer, which means better drive, better fuel mileage, & no me having to fill up air at gas stations while searching for a Loon in my pockets to pay for the air...God is in the details...(nice waiting room there too with a tv tuned to City Pulse & had a Diet blueberry iced tea while waiting- those Arizona drinks)...Details are so neat to accomplish...Icing on the cake...Polish on the brass...Wax on the saddle...Not hard to do but make the difference between a good artist & a great artist...To top it off my husband's electric shaver ran out while he was shaving, & he needed one little battery...As it happened, I pillaged from my electric cycling vest which lights up at night-Perfect- Now my husband loves me more, as he was able to shave right away...(Joseph loves useful way more I think than pretty...)p.s. http://www.markrowlandsauthor.com/books.htm If you have not yet read the book called the Philospher & the Wolf by Mark Rowlands then you MUST... Everyone MUst read this book...Call me or write later to cry... Then go save the animals...This book will help to change your life, animal-wise...For the better...(If you thought you were crazy because you learned how to smoke salmon for your Husky puppy who loved smoked salmon, or you are weaving nests for swans because they look cold, then read this book to know you are not in fact crazy...
http://sarigrove.brandyourself.com/Social+Stream Got invited to try out Brand Yourself ...Take a look...Not bad at all actually...(this is my social stream profile)...How to put NOPIN Pinterest code on your Weebly website:(this prevents people from Pinning your images)... Go to: Settings, Choose : search engine optimization, In the place called : header code, And in the place called: footer code,Insert the following string of code:<meta name="pinterest" content="nopin" />SavePublishNote: for some reason this worked for me when I put the code string into both boxes, the footer code box & the header code box...But you may be able to get away with just one choice...Don't know why I couldn't...
(The stuff in BOLD-way below- is really the post...This unbolded preamble is what I've been doing to try to recover from antifreeze poisoning...One thing I'd like to add, now that that major crisis is mostly over, is that when I took a whole all bunch of magnesium tablets (pills but they are big)(horsepills really), that it induced my period over a week early (which is very disrupting physically)...As a sidenote to that thought(sorry for talking about periods but sometimes you just have to mention things or no one will understand) so the thing is that things that induce women's periods tend to help with evicting cancer from the body...Cancer is a "HOLDING ON" type thing or dominance, & getting your period is a sign that you are "LETTING GO"...Which is all to say that magnesium is a good adjunct thing you can do to rid your gallbladder from cancer...Talk about finding a silver lining to that cloud!
Though the name "HEARALL" implies it is only for the ears, in fact this product is an excellent heavy metal detoxification kit for your adrenal glands, (which some people think are tied up to your ears anyway...) So if you want to detoxify from heavy metal exposure, HearAll works really well for me...It has the extra side effect of removing progesterone excess from your adrenals, which is great if you think you have been exposed to birth control products, either directly or indirectly...You can order this stuff directly from the manufacturer NaturalCare in Oregon on their website- it is far fresher that way...
The other thing is a Chinese herbal product for the spleen which I got from the Herb Depot in person on Spadina avenue south of College on the west side...There is a doctor there all the time, but he only speaks Chinese, so someone there will translate your questions for you...usually I find out the word for spleen in Chinese, memorize it, then when I get there say that word...He will show you the newest spleen supplement selection...What this will do will strengthen your spleen if you have exerted yourself in a muscular way & possibly depleted your spleen without knowing...For those who are cautious about Chinese supplements, check which ones will have animal stuff inside Before you go to the store...Most of these spleen things will increase your copper level & drop your phosphorus level, which is what you need if you have injured your spleen or tired it out, usually...
If a boat is within three miles of the coast, then your boat toilet CANNOT be flushed directly into the water...The boat toilet water must be flushed into a holding tank at a marina...From the marina's holding tank, the water then must be flushed into the marina's sewer system...That means that the water goes directly into the coastal water treatment plant... Antifreeze is basically mercury...Mercury is basically liquid or fume pooh...Mercury & Magnesium are the two elements that live in harmony but in opposite balance with each other...They live together naturally in your gallbladder...Too much mercury & your body will crave magnesium, too much magnesium & your body will crave mercury...Nature always seeks a balance... Case Study: Let me explain...At the Bluffs in Toronto, the cliff rock is made of magnesium- it is called Dolomite rock...If the Lake Ontario water becomes exposed to mercury, then the Dolomite (magnesium) will oblige by eroding to create a harmonious balance...This is why the Bluffs are eroding...Everytime someone at a marina or yacht club winterizes their boat toilet by flushing the pipes with antifreeze(mercury) then flushing that mercury directly into the lake water, the Bluffs erode... The more mercury goes into the water, the more the rocks erode... This is why yearly the water level at the Bluffs marina is getting shallower & shallower...Because the boat people are dumping their antifreeze from their toilets directly into the lake without taking the trouble to flush it into a holding tank, (then from there, the marina official flushes that into the marina's septic system, which gets processed to the water filtration process or plant...) By being lazy or cheap or underfunded or not knowledgeable enough, they are eroding their own Bluffs & then their boats get stuck in shallow sand-filled water... Also the concentration of mercury becomes more as the water level becomes less... Mercury poisoning in the gallbladder kills you bysuffocating you...You can tell a dirty marina by the people...They will have anger issues, anti-social behaviours, tell stories that have a drift into the imaginary, they have lost some important connection to reality, they drop words or full paragraphs when speaking then become furious that you don't understand what they are saying...Stealing & other odd behaviour is also symptomatic...Treat mercury poisoning by taking magnesium tablets...I have "Now" brand 200 milligram magnesium tablets from Popeyes at Yonge south of Bloor east side- I put 4 in a small bottle of water & let them dissolve for 15 minutes, then drink the chalky water...10 tablets over three days will improve your gallbladder, then take judiciously as long as you feel you are still poisoned...Too much magnesium of course can also harm you, so if you feel jaw pain, stop...Magnesium cleans you out, but if there is no more mercury present, it will just start to dissolve bone... Next time you are on your boat, think twice about flushing your toilet into the water...Sea, lake or ocean...It is an etiquette question (& it is also law btw...) Killing wildlife is a prosecutable offence...If you are found flushing your boat toilet into water within three miles of a coast, knowingly, then you are killing wildlife & can be prosecuted...Of course, a high concentration of mercury at a marina indicates a group agreement to flout the law, & that mercury can kill a human...A marina then can be charged with murder...Thought you all should know... Afterthought: A. Vogel makes "Thyroid support" which is on the shelves of Noah's Natural Foods at Bloor & Yonge, & that really just means that it contains KELP, & that means that kelp contains IODINE, & iodine is really great for cleaning progesterone dominance ou of your ADRENAL GLAND (not your thyroid btw, but who cares that they are sort of wrong because it is a good product, & I am telling you here)...So anyways, Iodine cleans Progesterone (some people might call that Calcium which is the nice way of saying progesterone) out of the adrenal glands...Progesterone is found in birth control pills patches injections & transfers to men or boys or babies really easy through pregnancy birth sex lap dances casual sex intercourse with your wife or just hanging ou at strip clubs or brothels where women take heaps of birth control which is made of progesterone...Progesterone dominance in the adrenal(male or female) causes gender dysphoria, aids (adrenal gland failure), cancer for sure, & just general gaining of weight & slowing down of many organs...A little is fine for the adrenals (like what you find in the herb called Vitex), too much & it is a big problem...Anyways, all this to say that while you are cleaning shop from antifreeze mercury poop poisoning, you might as well give your adrenal gland a scrub & take some iodine kelp supplement like the one I mentioned...(People with Graves disease NO NO NO NO)...(they have too much iodine so don't need that- they need to eat cheese...)http://reviews.cnet.com/external-hard-drives/lacie-rugged-all-terrain/4505-3190_7-31637887.html I use this orange rugged Lacie external hard drive & it is neat! (comes in different capacities)...Great for storing all those letters of complaint I write...
Above: In the video above I show how I just added another 50 feet of 3/8 of an inch braided nylon rope from Canadian Tire (it is on spools, just ask Jerry at the Yonge & Davenport store to measure you out a length)...This is the final step in closing all gaps & fixing any stray rope that may cause tripping...This makes my total rope length for this eight prototype design for a trumpeter Swan nest to be 750 feet...Apparently no matter how thick the rope I use, I end up using 750 feet for a 43 inch diameter nest...below(this is the step before the last, the night before the video one): Glow in the dark green rope 3/8 of an inch, 100 feet...Added it this evening...Total rope length count is now 700 feet...(before, 500 red white braid poly. 100 feet white twisted nylon)...had to fill in the gaps...(turns out rope was on tremendous sale at Canadian Tire tonight...wow! May get some more...) Now I am going to have to get a Trumpeter swan to model the nest...Will post when that happens...two things which are neat together: (maybe 4 or 5 hundred dollars total though)... http://www.amazon.com/Powerblanket-Portable-Heating-Thawing-Blanket/dp/B002MDOP9A/ref=pd_sim_sbs_misc_4 This link is to a 'plug into your car lighter or 12V portable rechargeable battery', heating pad which can get wet & is 4 feet by 4 feet in dimension...I imagine the Trumpeter swans might like one of these under their nest for winter, or as a nest maybe...Under might be better...
http://www.amazon.com/Orion-Dynamo-Rechargeable-Power-Station/dp/B001IFS300/ref=sr_1_1?s=miscellaneous&ie=UTF8&qid=1327872684&sr=1-1 here is a cool portable rechargeable battery which also does other stuff-to plug your heating pad into...
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