2017 is up and running, and the 2017 Cat Rescue Tea Fundraiser was a success!

Alexander Hamilton vs. Aaron Burr (1804), from a painting
by J. Mund ca. 1904.  Wikimedia Commons.

Hello everyone!  I hope you've found a lot to be thankful for in this new year!

I am one of those people who didn't have high hopes for the outcome of the recent U.S. presidential election (no matter who won), and I am also thoroughly sickened by the way Americans have turned on one another with the arrogance, entitlement (as if one candidate or the other -- and their ardent supporters -- "owned" the votes of all decent people), snobbery, and elitism that has been (to some extent) hiding under the surface of public life for decades. It is not the fault of one candidate or the other that these things have come to the surface -- it is the fault of the American people (in general) who are so wrapped up in our own likes and dislikes, needs and wishes, that we can't see that other human beings feel and think differently, and are no less decent or respectable for having different values.  Over many years, the American people -- of all political parties -- have thrown decency, neighborliness, and good citizenship out the window, and brought the political life of this country to this place.  It reminds me a lot of the state of political life at the founding of the United States, where political enemies ended their disagreements in pistol duels!

Since I believe that individual Americans have influenced each other in putting political ideals and goals above the needs of others (especially those who hold different opinions), I believe that the way out of this mess needs to start with the individual American.  This is not about ignoring reality and going back into our own personal "bubble", but it is about resisting the very real urge to "go with the flow" and bully others, under the name of "political discourse" or whatever the media are calling it.  A lot of good things have been happening, which have successfully brought together people of different political opinions and social values!

Busy days.

Christina and I making the tea. 

Oh my gosh, it's been something like a month since I last posted!  A lot has been going on.

First, we had our 6th annual Cat Rescue Tea in San Jose, and it was another success!  We served about 120 people over 2 days, and raised close to $5,000 for 13th Street Cats!

I made 8 batches of Meyer lemon curd, and coordinated a bunch of other things, including jam donations, tea donations (from Satori Tea Bar and Thompson Tea Company), and put together 2 afternoon tea baskets for the silent auction, as well as collected a bunch of other tea things for the raffle for both days.  I also helped make tea sandwiches, served the lemon curd, jam, and butter, and with my friend Christina, made all the tea that was served at the event.

Upcoming interview and the Cat Rescue Tea approaching!

2013 Downton Tabby Tea place setting.
Photo: Miranda Von Stockhausen.

There are two little tidbits of information to share today:

Tidbit #1: tickets to the Downton Tabby Tea benefit for 13th Street Cats are selling like hotcakes!  Or would that be tea cakes? Or catnip mousies?  Anyway, I understand that Sunday, March 30th is sold out, and that there are only 3 or 4 seats left for Saturday, March 29th, so buy yours TODAY before they're all gone!  It will be a really fun event with delicious food and tea (if I do say so myself ...).

Tidbit #2: I was contacted a few months ago by Stephen Nelson, who produces and hosts the podcasts at Tea Rage.  He wanted to interview me for a podcast, and I thought that would be a great idea.  It's always fun to meet other tea people, and the idea of sitting down and geeking out about tea is just so much fun!  We finally met and recorded the podcast this afternoon at Satori Tea Bar in San Jose, and after some editing (lots of background noise and, I suspect, rambling on my part) the recording will be up on Tea Rage in the next few months!  I'll post the link when it's up, but I encourage you all to pop over and listen.  Despite the "rage" in the title, and the fact that Stephen proudly categorizes himself as a "tea snob" he's not snobby or full of rage in real life, and we had a really interesting "chin-wag" over pots of tea.  We talked, not only about our mutual love of tea, and the South Bay Ladies' Tea Guild, but also about ideas for future tea research and projects.  He might be buying a tea plant in the future and experimenting with growing and processing his own tea, so keep your eyes on this blog and I'll let you know when he does!  He also told me about another tea podcast series, called Leaf and Let Die, which I had never heard about; that's more of a Mystery Science Theater 3000 approach to not-so-good teas ... I'll have to give the podcasts a listen and see what it's all about.  

Cat Rescue Tea 2014 tickets are on sale now!

Downton Tabby Tea 2012.
Photo: Miranda Von Stockhausen 

It's that time again: the 6th Annual Downton Tabby Tea fundraiser is scheduled for March 29 and 30 in San Jose, and tickets have just gone on sale!  They sell out quickly, so be sure to buy yours as soon as you can.  Feel free to dress up for this event, in keeping with the Downton Abbey theme and the opulence of this restored Victorian mansion!

*NOTE: If you have a group of people attending, and you would like to be seated together, you must buy the tickets for your group at the same time (in one transaction), or we cannot guarantee your seating.  If ticket sales go like they have for the past few years, there won't be any available to buy at the door, or in the days leading up to the event!  Only tickets that have been paid for can be considered "reserved"!

Here is the vital information:

Fundraising organization: Friends of 13th Street Cats/13th Street Cat Rescue (www.13thstcats.org)

Dates: Saturday, March 29 and Sunday March 30, 2 to 4 p.m.

Location: a restored Victorian home in the Hensley District, downtown San Jose.  The address will be sent privately to those who purchase tickets.

Event details: prix-fixe afternoon tea plate includes homemade scone, lemon curd, jam, tea sandwiches and savories, nut cup and fresh fruit, tea cake and chocolate, as well as bottomless pots of tea (Satori Tea Bar's Earl Grey Creme or Smitten Kitten herbal tisane from Thompson Tea Co.).  There will be a silent auction and a raffle of a variety of wonderful items; in the past these have included: timeshare vacations, to bottles of wine, to tea baskets, to gear for your pets.  Self-guided tours of the mansion may also be available at the discretion of the owners.

Tickets:

• $40 per person, for a full afternoon tea, Veggie or Regular options; 
• $50 per person, for the full afternoon tea, Veggie or Regular options, plus 2 glasses of champagne; 
• $150 for the Countess Package, full afternoon tea (Veggie or Regular) for 2, champagne for 2, VIP table for 2, 2 VIP badges, 2 tea favors, and advance entry at 1:30 p.m.;
• $300 for the Grantham Package, which is everything included in the Countess Package, but for 4 people.  

Where to buy your tickets: the 13th Street Cats website at http://www.13thstcats.org/info/display?PageID=14639   Tickets on sale NOW!

See you there! 

Back from the Cat Rescue Tea!

guest place setting.  Photo: Elizabeth Urbach

Photo: Elizabeth Urbach

Well, our 5th annual Cat Rescue tea fundraiser was another success!  We called it the "Downton Tabby" Tea this year, and got a lot of chuckles from the guests (in the photo to the left, the faces of the _Downton Abbey_ characters have been replaced with cat faces!).  We sold out both days, packing in 44 guests the first day and 42 the second day, and added champagne to the menu (for an extra charge) for the first time.  The champagne was more popular than we thought it would be, so it will probably be included again for next year.  Also for the first time, this year's menu was completely homemade; we replaced the packaged (even gourmet-quality) cake and cookies from Trader Joe's with homemade treats.  Although we didn't have the cute little kitty sugar cookies, we did have cat paw-shaped chocolates!  This year' menu was:

fig, bacon & cream cheese tea sandwich
(The Kittens' Favorite) egg salad tea sandwich
pear, bleu cheese & walnut tea sandwich
cucumber & herbed cream cheese tea sandwich
goat cheese & sun-dried tomato tea sandwich
curried chicken salad tea sandwich
olive tapenade on a cracker
currant scone with orange zest

Photo: Elizabeth Urbach 

Meyer lemon curd
soft butter
spiced plum, summer strawberry, or apricot jam
fresh grapes
nut cup
chocolate fudge

Photo: Elizabeth Urbach

Everyone got all of the above, as well as bottomless pots of tea, and two tea favors.  We served an Earl Grey Creme blend from local tea shop Satori Tea Company (as well as Peet's Earl Grey when we ran out of the Earl Grey Creme because it was so popular), and a spiced rooibos blend called The Cat's Pajamas from Thompson Tea Company.  All the tea was donated by the companies that sell it.  The tea favors this year were the aforementioned cat paw-shaped chocolates, and a blooming tea

Photo: Elizabeth Urbach 

from Thompson Tea Company called Cat Whiskers.  Everyone seemed to have a great time, as well as enjoying the beautiful surroundings of the Victorian house where the event was located, and the raffle and silent auction items.  I haven't seen the final tally yet, but I'm sure we raised a few thousand dollars for 13th Street Cat Rescue!

It's that time again ...

Photo: Joanne Santner.

Time to get ready for the annual Cat Rescue Tea for 13th Street Cats!  This year I'm donating 2 tea baskets to the raffle and a bunch of things to the silent auction, I'm making all the lemon curd again, and I'll be making all the tea on both days of the event.  Tonight is the night to make the lemon curd!

I'm also on costume crew for Lyric Theatre's production of Lerner & Lowe's Brigadoon (go see the show!) this week, including both Saturday and Sunday evening after the tea fundraiser!  I'll have to hurry over to the Montgomery Theatre after finishing up at the house.  It will be a series of long nights ... 

The 4th Annual Cat Rescue Tea Fundraiser in San Jose!

AntiqueClipArt.com

Tickets are now on sale for the

13th St Cat Rescue
Fourth Annual Tea Fundraiser

Saturday and Sunday March 10th & 11th, 2012 2-4pm $30.00 includes a full afternoon Tea at a historic mansion & San Jose Landmark ~~ Spend an afternoon sipping Tea for a Cause!Please join us as we raise money for our very own 13th St Cat Rescue. Spend an afternoon sipping tea in a beautiful Victorian Mansion (new location for this year!) located in the Hensley Historic District of San Jose. ~~

3rd Annual Cat Rescue Tea in San Jose

AntiqueClipArt.com

*** Spend an afternoon sipping Tea for a cause… ***

13th St Cat Rescue Tea
Saturday March 19th 2011
Seating at 2:00pm 
$25.00 includes a full afternoon Tea
At a historic private residence & San Jose Landmark

Please join us as we raise money for our very own 13th St Cat Rescue. 

Spend an afternoon sipping tea in an opulent Victorian landmark located in the Hensley Historic District of San Jose. 

Enjoy a delicious selection of savory Tea Sandwiches, savory treats, Scone with butter, jam and lemon curd, petite dessert, handmade Chocolate, fresh fruit & nut cup. All served accompanied by a lovely selection of Teas.

There is limited seating available, so please reserve and purchase your seats early. We highly suggest that you place your orders as a group (one person purchasing for all in their group, so that we can insure that you are seated together). 

AntiqueClipArt.com 

Log onto our donation page to reserve & purchase your Tea seating: http://www.13thstcats.org/info/display?PageID=10167

This event is lovingly coordinated by the Friends of 13th Street Cat Rescue. 

Thank you for your support! 

Cat Rescue tea party a success!

one of the parlor guest tables at the tea party.
Well, I'm pretty much recovered from our tea party fundraiser from last weekend. I got away with not taking home too many leftovers, so the tea sandwiches are finished and I only have a little bit of sour cream, some chopped onions and some sandwich bread to use up. Mother's Day is coming up, and I always cook for my mom on Mother's Day, so it shouldn't be too hard to use up the tea food.

In any case, we served 33 people on Saturday and 39 on Sunday, had no major catastrophes (although we came close when the tea urns caused the kitchen electrical circuit to break!) and received lots of great comments from the guests. We also raised about $4,500 for the 13th Street Cats! We'll see how many veterinary bills that will pay for; always on the lookout for needy cats, they took in another one on Sunday, just as the tea was ending! This cat has kind owners who can't pay for its medical care, so 13th Street Cats is going to take the cat to the vet and pay for its exam and medication.

The catnip "cigars" for sale!

All in all, another great event; you can see some photos from both days here. Enjoy!

13th Street Cats website
"Support 13th Street Cats by attending the Cat Rescue Tea Party!"

Photos from the Cat Rescue Tea party this weekend.

This is the literature table (to the left of the photo) in the front hall of the Victorian house where we held the tea party.

This is the brochure that we put at each place setting.

This is the largest table in the dining room, all set and ready for guests. All the seats at this table were sold out each day!

These are the two tables in the back parlor. You can just see the china on the low tea table between the yellow and striped sofas to the left! The windows to the far left of the picture are the original stained glass on top. They are beautiful.

Here is another view of the low tea table between the couches.

And here is another view of the other table by the fireplace. That is the original mantel, with lovely tile work and carving decorating all the niches for bric-a-brac. Very High Victorian.

Here are the four small tables in the front parlor. The window that is visible in the upper left corner of the picture is a small bay window, that had a small table for two placed in it. Those were some of the best seats in the house!

Altogether, the event was a success. We helped to raise about $2500 for the 13th Street Cats (http://www.13thstcats.org/), and there has been talk of doing it again next year!

A tea party for cats!

image from AntiqueClipArt.com

I've been keeping busy lately getting ready for a tea party fundraiser that I'm helping a friend put on, for the benefit of a local non-profit organization that rescues stray and abandoned cats, and gets the kittens socialized and adopted. It's a homegrown, grass-roots group, and I'm happy to help!

The benefit organization, based in downtown San Jose, is called 13th Street Cats, and they rescue stray and abandoned cats in their neighborhood. Comprised of a dedicated group of regular San Jose residents, 13th Street Cats members utilize the T-N-R approach, trapping the cats and kittens, neutering them, and releasing the adults back in the same area where they were trapped. The kittens are then housed in foster homes, where they are nurtured and socialized, and then adopted out to loving families who give them permanent homes.

Realizing that all of the medical care, food, cat toys and other supplies were purchased by the individual 13th Street Cats volunteers, and that costs could run into the thousands, a support group – Friends of 13th St. Cats – was formed, to plan and put on a fund-raising event for them. The event format we chose was a tea party, hosted in a lovely Victorian home in San Jose’s Historic Hensley District.


Here’s how we did it: in January, we began our planning meetings. We made lists of the things we needed, selected the date for the event, and started approaching local businesses for donations and help. We searched our own homes for things like folding tables, chairs, tablecloths, cups and saucers, silverware, napkins, and teapots, as well as items to donate to the silent auction and raffle. We started to spread the word among our friends and acquaintances, and asked them for in-kind donations as well. We paid for the printing of our event program and flyers. We were able to secure donations of food from Trader Joe’s, and tea from Peet’s Coffee and Tea in San Jose.


Through February and into March we sold tickets to the event and finalized the menu, delegated responsibilities like marketing, food prep, flower arranging, set-up and clean-up, serving, picking up donated and loaned items, and bookkeeping.

Event Dates: Saturday, March 14 and Sunday, March 15, 2009, one seating at 2 p.m. each day.
Tickets: $25 per person. Raffle tickets are 10 for $10, and you can put as many tickets as you wanted, in the raffle for each item. There will also be a silent auction.
Location: a private home in the Hensley District, San Jose.


It's been a lot of work. I've been put in charge of making sandwich fillings for 75 tea sandwiches! I also made 4 batches of lemon curd and got Peet's Coffee & Tea to donate all of the tea that we will serve. All of us on the planning committee have done the same amount of work and we have collectively donated or loaned all of the china, silverware, tables, chairs, linens and many of the raffle and silent auction items that are needed. We only have to buy the food and a few other things, which means more of the proceeds go to the cat rescue group! This is a quick update before I head off to my friend's house where the tea party will be held, to help set up. I expect to be in the kitchen much of the day, coordinating the sandwich-making, tea-making, and things like that, but I'm bringing my new camera (woohoo!) and I'll be taking as many pictures as I can, without being obnoxious! I'll post some of them in the next week or so ...