Tea with Bean (and Wylla)!!!!

This weekend we had the pleasure of hosting Tea with Bean (and Wylla), our annual fundraising  luncheon.  Marianne was the high bidder on this auction, and she invited her friend/former coworker Naomi to join her.  They traveled from Mount Vernon and Everett, WA to dine with us. Both cities are north of Seattle.


Charlene and Wylla were waiting in the living room when our guests arrived.

 

 Mariane quickly won Wylla over with a gift she brought. Wylla loves all things on strings, so this cheeseburger toy was a big hit.

 

We spent a little time playing with the big cats, then sat down  to eat. The table "centerpiece" was an assembly of several of the pieces used on this year's fundraising set.





 I put together a little package of IBKC magnets and pins for each of our guests, and added a tiny telephone to each bow. Each setting had a kitten place card.





 The menu was colorful and vegetarian.

 

 We had a watermelon, feta and arugula salad with a balsamic dressing.



 A savory Mexican pepper casserole.



Deviled eggs.



 Quinoa, sweet potato, kale, and cotija cheese tamales.



 Cornbread with honey butter.

 

 And Craig made some very delicious guacamole.



 We had a lovely time getting to know our guests over lunch. We learned about Marianne's cats and the "Catopia" she created in her condo.  Naomi is currently without cats, but she's recently retired, and plans to add a cat or two soon.

When we were done eating and chatting, we headed in to meet the Mittenflosses, who were just waking up from a little nap.

 



 The kittens were happy to meet our new friends and felt quite comfortable in their hands and laps.

 

 We headed over to the shelter next, and met up with our tour guide, Marguerite. We started in the foster room, and got to meet some really adorable babies.

 

There was one teeny-tiny in the neonate area. Lucky for us, it was lunch time, so we got to watch Ruth feed the wee girl. What a treat!



Next stop was the ringworm room. Thanks to your generous donations, the HS was able to complete the "Fungal Bungalow" and are it's currently full of cats and kittens getting treated for ringworm.



Of course we didn't go inside, but we were able to peek in the windows and see the lovely space.



We stopped in the cattery next and met some beautiful stray cats who were waiting for the families to come get them.



There were many beautiful cats and kittens there too, who were available for adoption.





Recognize that kitty on the right?



We visited the pet pantry and were happy to see that the shelves were packed full of food.



One of the highlights of the tour was meeting this sweet boy, Rudy, who's being fostered by a staff member.  He's a charmer and is loved by all.



After we were done touring the shelter, we stepped out into the parking lot and took a photo next to the HS van because you-know-who adorns the side of it. That's Marianne on the left and Naomi on the right.



We returned home and shared some chocolate desserts. I'm not a baker, so these beautiful treats came from a local bakery. Yum.



And then, a little more time with Bart and Fielding.  They were delightful, of course.  We see little kittens all the time, but I know most people don't. It's always sweet to see people experience kittens and watch them react to their adorableness.  





When we wrapped up the afternoon, Wylla was too distracted by all of her new toys to properly say goodbye to our guests.



It was a really lovely day, and we sure did enjoy meeting our guests. Thank you so much for generosity, Marianne! We appreciate your support and I'm glad you had the opportunity to tour the shelter and see how your donation helps.  Thank you, too, for the kitty toys. Charlene and Wylla are both enjoying them!

It was so nice meeting both of you!  Thank you for the wonderful visit, Marianne and Naomi!