The Cat Came Back

As I was going through some of the photos from the first showing of the house, I noticed how many of them captured the friendly resident cat.  This old but exceptionally gregarious kitty escorted us through most of the main floor, before coughing up a hairball and heading off for a well deserved nap on the naugahyde wet bar.  So, in honor of Mitzi, here's a photo tribute to a cat who did more to market the house than the owner or realtor did...

(And shout-out to 'Aunty' Trish for taking care of Max and Tesha during the ongoing packing and moving chaos this week.).

Party like it's 1979...

Or rather, 1976.  Amidst the packing up exercise, I've been contemplating the upcoming housewarming party that's planned for the day after the possession date.  It certainly won't meet Martha Stewart standards, since the house will be in its unrenovated state and missing a few key elements.  Like furniture.  And possibly running water if the local utility company can't figure things out in the next two weeks.   Minor details, really.  BYOB = Bring your own Barca-lounger or you'll be communing with the grotty, cat hair laden shag carpet, people.

So, what does one serve at a 1976 themed party?  Beverage wise, I'm thinking Mateus, Baby Duck or Bloody Marys for the grownups, Tang or Hawaiian Punch for kidlets or abstainers.  And Perrier too - another 1976 introduction.

And nibblies...let's cast our collective memories back to our childhoods.   Fondue, of course, because nothing says 'we're groovy' like sharing a collective pot of tepid food-like goo.  (Lest I offend the butter wielding spirits of the Galloping Gourmet and Julia Child, I will confess to liking cheese fondue, in limited quantities).  Mini-quiches, sausage rolls, sweet and sour meatballs, rumaki, shrimp cocktail with a sauce whose flavor can only be described as 'red', mushroom caps, terrines (ooh - more French cuisine, how chic!), the ubiquitous jelly mold, carrot and celery sticks with ranch dip, bean salad and ambrosia salad or Duncan Hines chocolate cake for dessert.   Mmmmmmm!

What do you remember from the 1970's?  And if you're too young to have experienced the 70's, just go back to your Tumblr blog on your iPad and leave us old folks alone.

Bubble House?

I suppose I should explain the name of the house and this blog before we launch into the ongoing details of the renovation.  One wintery evening in November 2011, Jean and I visited the new neighbours to introduce ourselves.  The first one exclaimed 'Oh, you bought the Bubble House!' as she had been in the house several times and was familiar with the once four, now three, bubble acrylic windows.  And so, the house was given its name.

Journey of a Thousand Miles

...begins with a single step.  Welcome to our blog about our adventures in renovating a 1976 vintage architect-designed house in Forest Heights.  The story began in October 2011, when after perusing a nearby bungalow having an Open House for sheer entertainment value only (no, we're not actually shopping for a house, oh no) only to find it too small, too fussy and waaaaay too expensive, the realtor mentioned another house he had listed a block away.  Ten minutes later, with the owner shooed away and an extremely friendly resident cat ushering us inside, we had our first glimpse of what would be dubbed 'The Bubble House'.  And so the story begins.