A little fun this week.

Oct. 22 is National Color Day. It is a day of celebrating color in our lives and how colors are perceived. In this season of tree foliage, color is needed to be fully enjoyed. In coastal Maine, the tree foliage has just about reached its peak.

According to nationaldaycalendar.com, "This day was created as a day to learn how colors influence our mood, productivity and behavior in our everyday lives. Different colors are perceived to mean different things. Following is one rendition of perceived meaning of different colors in the United States: Red: Excitement – Love – Strength; Yellow: Competence – Happiness; Green: Good Taste – Envy – Relaxation; Blue: Corporate – High Quality; Pink: Sophistication – Sincerity; Violet/Purple: Authority – Power; Brown: Ruggedness; Black: Grief – Fear; and White: Happiness – Purity."

Personally, when I hear someone mention these colors, my thoughts harken back to my childhood and how the colors either became appreciated or despised:

Red: Red hair. Never thought of my hair as red, but most of us Burnhams were told we had red hair. A shade of red, perhaps. Now, I wish I had any additional hair — red or otherwise.

Yellow: I think of the sun and how my mother told me not to stare at it. So, what does a young boy do when he's told not to do something? Yeah, I think millions of boys (and girls) can relate.

Green: The front lawn of our house was always green. Green grass, green beans and Mr. Green Jeans (although we never saw his green jeans until we got a color TV).

Blue: The sky, the ocean and blue ribbons. Laying on the green grass, staring at the yellow sun and looking off to the left or right (after my eyes refocused) and soaking in that beautiful blue sky. Viewing the blue ocean from the shore is forever etched in one's brain. And getting that first blue ribbon and holding it in your hand. Pure pleasure.

Pink: My mom's or my older sister's sweaters, perhaps. Being a boy, pink was for girls, so I enjoyed the blue ribbon more. Heck, I wouldn't even use a pink crayon in my coloring book.

Violet/Purple: Maybe one of dad's ties or Father Mannette's robe (vestment) during Lent. During the 1960s, my father would wear a tie to work at the First National and I am sure he had a purple one (or at least some purple in those paisley print ties). And when Father Mannette walked to the altar to start a Mass on Ash Wednesday wearing that robe, young boys and girls sat up and took notice. This was royalty.

Brown: Shoes, definitely one of my first pair of shoes.

Black: Our first dogs were black Labs — jet black. And they brought our family of nine such great pleasure. We even had an artist paint a portrait of one of them.

White: Bed sheets hanging on the clothesline. And that wonderful smell when we would run through them just for something to do.