Here comes St. Patrick's Day. There's lots to like about it: the chance to celebrate any bit of Irish blood that may have flowed through the family tree, a fun time for a parade or other revelry, and of course getting decked out in green. I have to dig really deep in my closet for something green to wear because my wardrobe is pretty much green-free.

Truth be known, I have been green-challenged for years. As an artist who paints, I should have befriended it in my childhood watercolor box. As fate would have it when I began to paint professionally, I ignored the color. I had only one tube of green paint and one bottle of green ink in my supplies. My green pencils were always the longest and sharpest. The same had been true of my crayons.

I do not like green nor do I understand green. To me it looks different when rendered in paintings than in the real landscape. It's illusive; I can't seem to capture it and long ago gave up trying. I'm resigned to steering clear of green in my house decor, my wardrobe, and everyday choices. There's precious little green in my artwork or other things I make.

Strangely enough, observing green in my yard is a whole other matter. It's light and sometimes somewhat yellowish in spring. As poet Robert Frost said so well, "Nature's first green is gold." As summer progresses the trees and shrubs change to a deep bright, leathery green. This green is strong and lush, becoming a hue that seems to say, "I will be here forever." Sun makes nature's green change shades as its position in the sky shifts. Green can look quite vibrant in the morning and quite dull in the evening. The greens of autumn are drab, olive, and dry looking, even when rain washes the fall landscape.

Very few colors affect me the way green does. It is complex and confounding-a color to observe rather than engage. I sometimes wonder if animals and birds see changes in greens the way humans do. I guess they don't have to understand green because they live amidst the chameleon-like color. For them, it just is.

So on the green's heyday, St. Patrick's Day, take note of all that passes for green in the name of celebrating Irish spirit. As we color everything from beer to fountains and rivers, it will be merriment rather than the color's ephemeral nature that's important. I'll do my best to rustle up at least of spot of green to wear and join the revelry that comes but once a year.