Connections puzzle: Can you find the common bond among these four words?

[True Dough]

I stared at them a long time and gave up. It was the purple row in Connections, which is often the most tricky. After seeing the answer, I was slapping myself. Should have thought of it.

Blond

Tray

Tree

Wednesday

[Ponietz]

1. Ash _______?

[True Dough]

2. Bingo!

Well done.

[Blues Heron]

3. ash?

[2naSalit]

4. I never got that...

I only figured out two sets. I had no mistakes until then.

[True Dough]

5. I got the other three rows

but I'm quite often left staring at the final row and struggling to figure out what the connection is. It's usually that blasted purple row. There's been some occasions where I finally hit the button to get the answer and I know I would never, ever had pieced it together.

[2naSalit]

6. Same here...

Some days I just don't get them all.

[Fla Dem]

7. By the time I got to those 4, they were all that was left.

So didn't see the connection until it was those 4 and I had to concentrate just on them.

It was the Ash Wednesday and ash tray that finally worked for me and opened the door to the remaining 2.

[Harker]

8. I felt like a complete ash, having gotten it only by default. n/t