Rose Garden renovated…

You will shortly be informed that the federal government spent many thousands of taxpayer dollars on the First Lady’s project.   It must be true,  because the East Wing declined to provide the cost of the redesign,  which also included much needed updates,  such as electrical upgrades for TV appearances,  new walkways that are ADA accessible,  and general repair work on the area.   Too bad — everything was paid for by private donations.   But the White House won’t release the names of the donors,  so it must be a lie,  right?

Melania Trump has returned  the garden  to its roots,  honoring the original design by Bunny Mellon,  made at JFK’s request in 1962,  so it matches her personal aesthetic of clean lines and soft, neutral colors.    I believe she has overseen an admirable job,  including the remodeling of what was nicknamed Obama’s beer summit.   You’ll see it Tuesday night when she makes her speech to the Republican National Convention.   

UPDATE:  As predicted,  the critics  are savaging  our First Lady.  And I’ll bet you that those in  full critic mode  were drooling all over the serene,  quiet beauty  of the Bunny Mellon-designed garden done at Pres.  John F. Kennedy’s request,  and ain’t it outrageous Melania was not born in America?

UPDATE 2:   And the screaming  insanity continues!   One cannot,  apparently,  expect journalists to gather pix from the same seasons,  so we have spring tulips in an established garden,  versus a brand-new garden in the heat of August.  Way to go,  you stupid press corps!

UPDATE 3:  This is the  most comprehensive  breakdown of all the media’s lies and misconceptions,  proving yet again that no one in the bunch does the slightest amount of research and doesn’t know any history to begin with.

UPDATE 4:  And yet again MSM proves it knows no history and simply  spews forth  hatred with the unreasoning focus of a rabid dog.   i sometimes wonder if the trump campaign is paying you to be xenophobic  and stupid…

Two Laughing Boys…

…the masterwork by 17th Century Dutch golden age artist Frans Hals has  been stolen  from the  Hofje van Mevrouw van Aerden museum in Leerdam for the third time.   It was previously stolen from the same museum in 2011 and 1988, being recovered after six months and three years, respectively.

Dutch art detective Arthur Brand  is on the hunt,  but three thefts from the same place strikes me as rather suspicious   I trust Mr. Brand will discover it quickly and return it,  but in the meantime,  someone should find out why it appears to be relatively easy to steal from this museum,.