I guess I agree with Arthur. You start out trying everything and find what works. I have major limitations regarding environment and have tried so many different plants over the years and know what I can grow easily. I do grow some which take more effort, but I limit those. I don't have time or energy to struggle with plants which are not happy with me and my conditions. The kind of list Orchid 126 uses would not work for me. I use notes on each individual plant. I have nobile dens where some grow dryer than others. Hybrid plants all require different treatment. I could never generalize. I have a Blc which likes dry, another likes water. Some continue growing all winter, some flower, other do not. I use the individual notes to remember which responded to what treatment the year before and which ones did not. I've killed plants, in the past trying to generalize conditions. I grow indoors at windows and under lights. I'm not great keeping up notes, but I do note flowering times, potting mixes which seem to improve growth. I note what seemed to produce the best growth on individual plants - heat, light, dry/wet, outdoors/indoors. I have 8 Phals. Four fit the general picture of growth. Two like higher light and warmth. One spikes in winter with warmth. Growing species Catts and hybrids require notes on each one. They may be Blc's but behave very differently. I have one which loves dry. Is potted almost mounted and is happy. The others are happy in bark, sphag, etc. Some bloom twice a year, others once. I keep a index card file. Every plant has a number and a card. Some cards have a photo, but lots of notes when the plant first came to me. I play with conditions and make note about the results. There is always a plant which is difficult and needs to be grown differently. I like my cards because it is quick and easy to look up a plant. I keep them in a metal box which travels around the yard and house with me. I could never follow a month-to-month list. Every year is different, every plant is different. Jane

Well, truth be told, most plants slow down when they get less light, cooler temperatures, and less water. I called this 'dormancy' which may not technically be what is happening, but seems to work best for me in Zone 6. It has been a very mixed season so far - the weather hasn't been normal for the past few months. We've had unseasonably warm weather (up to 55 F, which makes everything I have indoors want to grow), punctuated with unbeleavably frigid weather (down to 0 F - which makes everything want to die), followed by another warm spell. It has been tough to get the plants to 'settle down' with such wide temperature fluctuations (and the ensuing humidity fluctuations). My Sansevieria look particularly unhappy when actively growm over a winter - the growth is all soft and unnaturally shaped. So I try and force things to stop growing without killing the new growth - a delicate balance sometimes (and not always successful, as all of my now dead S. trifasciata hahnii will attest to). ALl I can say is that I have finally made everything stop growing, and I think I haven't damaged anything. Joe 'Time will tell' DeRosa

The mail just came, bringing squares from Robbi and Petalpatsy. So, we're now complete, a day early! Quite a feat with so much going on this time of year. I'll be having cataract surgery tomorrow and making the almost 3 hour trek back to Baltimore on Wednesday for my post-op check. (And going through this again next week for other eye). Anyway, with all the blocks here and accounted for, I'd like to do the drawing this evening. I plan to be online around 7, and since I'd like to be a possible winner, I'll need some assistance with the drawing. I'll check when I get online to see who's available to draw a name. What a beautiful bunch of squares these are! Kay

I've completed my last book of the year, so I'm ready to commit: Ordinary Grace -- William Kent Krueger I really loved this book and bought copies for a couple of people and recommended it widely. I learned about it on Reader's Paradise when Reader_In_Transit recommended it in 2017. I discovered during a RP site search however, that it had also been listed as a favorite of Artiste8 in 2014. I didn't remember that. We Are Called To Rise -- Laura McBride I was attracted to the title of this book when I saw it on a shelf at the library. It was a great find! Little Fires Everywhere -- Celeste Ng I read this for my book club. I had read one previous novel by Ng (Everything I Never Told You) that, for me, was not enough to entice me to read a second by her, so I'm very glad that my book club made me take a second look at this author. Nomadland -- Jessica Bruder I have my book club to thank for this one also. I don't pick up much nonfiction on my own, but I thought this one was incredibly interesting. Birds in Fall -- Brad Kessler After reading Skibby's list, I had to come back and add this one. On her recommendation, I read it and really enjoyed it also.