McCune Mansion - 1901 Capitol Hill

January 5, 2010 – I attended the first event for my program at Osher – U of Utah. 12 people gathered at the McCune Mansion on 200 North Main Street on Capitol Hill. It is a 15-minute drive from SL International Airport. Walking distance from central Downtown includes one block from Temple Square and across the street from the LDS Conference Center.
Alfred was born in India where his father was stationed with a British battalion. His family joined the LDS church, and moved to SLC. Alfred met his wife, Elizabeth in Nephi, and they lived in Montana before returning to SLC to build their home..
Alfred amassed his fortune in railroads and mining, and he and his wife had the 21-room three-floored mansion finished in 1901.The home is constructed with native Utah sandstone and topped with red tiles made in Netherlands. I walked up an incline on the curved driveway. In front of me was a massive brick mansion with a turret on one corner. After passing through the front door, I entered a foyer decorated with mahogany wood from South American and artwork on the walls and ceiling, On the left was a waiting room with paintings of four women representing the four seasons on the ceiling. It required two years to complete the ceiling murals and decorative borders throughout the house.
The foyer changes into a room with a marble fireplace and into the drawing room where guests gather. The latter room has a floor to ceiling mirror imported from Germany. A special railcar had to be built to transport it to SLC. The walls are finished with white mahogany that is not available now. On the first floor was a library, but that room was converted to public use for weddings, etc.
On the bottom floor, next to the foyer on the opposite side is the least ornate of the rooms. The family used it when going about their daily lives. It has windows from the floor to above your head. The windows open into the ceiling, and you can walk out to the porch. (Nice during the summer or when quests are over.)
We walked up the stairs to the second floor – on the landing is a nook with a wooden table and several chairs with a window overlooking the yard. Above it is the entrance to a balcony looking over the first floor. Orchestra music would play during parties and, the guests were unaware where the music was playing. Continue upstairs – first another room for gathering, and two large master bedrooms with fireplaces made with Utah stone. Mrs. McCune’s lavishly decorated in pink brocade and white enamel faced the Temple, and his was an oval room with the walls hung in golden green Russian leather set with old brass nails facing the Capitol.
A “modern bathroom” with two sinks, bathtub and shower with a copper hot water system and floors and walls of Carrara marble. His study was finished with an Indian theme and again, the size of the room was immense. Mrs. McCune collected artifacts on her travels and in later years used this room to display them
Saving the best until last, the third floor is a gilded ballroom with artificial marble called scagelola columns and walls, plush settees, mirrors on the wall. A banquet room is next to it that is a copy of a famous hall in an English manor. Finished in mahogany with beamed ceiling, and the wall embellished with hunting scenes, woodlands, and haunts of Robin Hood and Rob Roy…

Living in the Country - First egg

Exciting news - Biggie laid her first egg, a dark brown one. The others should be laying soon, blue, green, and white eggs... Have to buy straw tomorrow to make their nests. Good thing to have fresh eggs as they are recalling eggs all over the US.

Breakfast Burrito Recipe:
(Great for camping but can be made indoors too)
Brown 1# bulk sausage on metal grill on a camping stove
Remove sausage to bowl and set aside.
Brown 1# bag of thawed hash browns on half of oiled grill and cook eggs on
other half.
Crack 8 eggs into bowl and beat together; cook on grill.
Mix eggs, sausage and potatoes together - add grated cheese. Remove to bowl.
Heat 3 or 4 tortillas on grill and fill with mixture. Add salsa if desired
and fold tortilla. Feeds 4 adults and 4 children with some to spare..

Buying Seed at the "Feed Store."

I picked Chloe up at daycare and the store was close by. We walked in and heard dogs barking. They have a pet's grooming department and when we checked later, a tiny poodle was getting a haircut. First stop was baby chicks and ducks - I didn't read the signs and took a second look. I looked at their beaks or bills, and I said, "These are ducks." It was her first time to see little ones. Of course, she wanted to pick up the colored fuzzy balls of chicks. We had a rooster for a while - Chicken Bob which she hasn't forgot to this day.
Today's project was finding grass seed that was suitable for the animals to eat. We wanted a sweet grass that was hardy, but we didn't need a 25# bag. The only thing in bulk was Kentucky bluegrass, so I purchased five pounds. That only filled part of a medium plastic sack. We will complete that project next weekend.
Our cuttings rooted,but they should have been kept cooler because they started to bud. Not drastic but something to keep in mind, the cuttings have to be done before they bud. My daughter has had good luck with cuttings and has started fruit trees, willows...

Update - Apr.9

Easter morning, we had Four children anxiously waiting for their surprise! Grandma took them upstairs, and there was a covered cage emitting peeping sounds. Yes, four chicks had found their way from the store to our house. We had picked out four different kinds - one was a Rhode Island Red, a leghorn like in the cartoons, one that lays colored eggs -"True, true"and a black one. Each child picked out one and named them such as Pumpkin, Biggie, etc.

The chicks will live here until we take them to the farm. Right now they need special care keeping them at 89 to 99 degrees with a light. Feeding them chicken feed and keeping their water bottle full, cleaning the shavings out of their food and water...

Continuing Education: Coops De Ville: How To Raise Backyard Chickens

Continuing Education: Coops De Ville: How To Raise Backyard Chickens

Living in the Country - Harvest

Harvest Time – Aug 26….

(photos/robandstephanielevy/2805642326/" title="4 days worth of eggs by robstephaustralia, on Flickr)
Starting reaping the results of our “farming” – Have gathered over two dozen eggs from three chickens, green, light brown, and dark brown… The color of the eggs depends on the variety of chicken.
I boiled part of the eggs and am making pickled eggs out of them. When I worked in a deli/grocery store I made “gallons of eggs”
My daughter thought it was too sweet and doesn't like the beets, so will try another recipe... Video on YouTube said to add a tsp of baking soda to cold water when boiling eggs to make the eggs easier to peel. Fresh eggs are harder to peel...

Quick Pickled Eggs and Beets
Submitted By: Cathy Swanson

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 4 Hours 30 Minutes
Servings: 8
"Easy and simple way to make pickled beets and eggs. You can double the recipe for larger gatherings. This is my late grandmother's recipe and everyone loves it. Will keep in fridge for up to 2 weeks."
Ingredients:
8 eggs
1 (15 ounce) can sliced beets with liquid
1/2 cup white vinegar 1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Directions:
1. Place egg in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, and peel. Place eggs in a glass or plastic container.
2. In a saucepan, combine beets, vinegar, sugar, water and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, and stir until sugar is dissolved. Pour over eggs. Cover, and chill for 4 hours or overnight.

Sept.8, 2010

Today I made my second batch of blackberry jam from fresh picked berries in the yard.. My son and two great grandchildren helped mash the fruit. Needed 3 cups of fruit and 5 1/4 cup of sugar, 1 pkg. of pectin and 3/4 cup of water. Makes 7 cups of jam...