WASHINGTON -- Barbara Bush's press secretary said 'you'll never see that wig again' on the first lady.
Anna Perez said Mrs. Bush's 'April Fool' joke in wearing a strawberry blond wig to the elite white tie Gridiron dinner was meant as a spoof. 'She was poking fun at all the attention paid to her looks,' said Perez.
Perez said Mrs. Bush 'picked that venue' because she knew that all the correspondents and their publishers would be on hand. 'The men didn't get it at all,' she said.
'You'll never see it again.'
The wig was provided by Mrs. Bush's longtime Belgium hairstylist, Yves Graux. His wife, Nancy Graux, did the first lady's makeup in brighter tones to go with her different hair color.
Mrs. Bush is called the 'silver fox' by her husband for her white hair. She decided on the gag as a statement, Perez said, and wishes that more attention would be paid to her serious interests in promoting national literacy and her other causes.
Mrs. Bush, who recently revealed she is suffering from a thyroid ailment that has caused her to lose 18 pounds, is 'feeling great,' according to her press spokeswoman. She is suffering from Graves' disease, which is treatable with medication.
Nothing has slowed down the president's wife, who is energetic and letting no grass grow under her feet as she settles into the White House. Shehas made a plunge into the compassionate issues and by her presence has thrown the White House spotlight on the hungry, the homeless, victims of AIDS, and abused children.
Mrs. Bush is lobbying to keep one of the six puppies delivered at the White House recently by her English springer spaniel, Millie.
The first lady had planned to give all of the puppies to members of the family, particularly the grandchildren, but she became so attached to the puppies that she has decided maybe she will keep one. She winked when asked if it was going to be impossible to part with all of them.
Vice President Dan Quayle has a large and beautifully appointed office in the Executive Office Building and a smaller office in the West Wing close to the Oval Office. Since proximity to the president is everything in the executive branch, he spends a lot of time in the West Wing.
Quayle is beginning to feel at home in his role as the nation's No. 2 leader. He is adapting and at the same time counting his new gray hairs. He complains that he now has more of them than his wife, Marilyn.
If his three children had their druthers they would be still living in McLean, Va., instead of the vice president's mansion on Observatory Hill, Quayle says.
The whole family misses the outings for soft drinks and hamburgers - the regular runs to fast food places, although Quayle still stops his motorcades at some of his old stamping grounds.
The President and Mrs. Bush believe in sharing their new home. They love to entertain and do so many nights a week, formally and informally. They also like people, unlike some presidents who preferred to escape from the madding crowd when the day is done.
President and Mrs. Reagan cherished their privacy in the family quarters and ate many a dinner on TV trays watching the news programs.
But the Bushes are more convivial. They rarely go to Camp David for weekends without inviting friends to join them.
They also like to go out to restaurants, their favorite being a gourmet Chinese restaurant where they can indulge in Peking Duck.
Fond of outdoor sports, they also are inviting their friends to join them in pitching horseshoes and using the tennis courts.
As far as they are concerned, the White House is now home and they are making the most of it.
