"Ted Byers" writes:
But then, my health has degenerated to the point I can't shovel the snow, so

Ouch. That isn't good.

hundreds of dollars worth of damage. Fortunately, he was honest enough to
admit he screwed up and took full responsibility for it.

While you were staying still? Would he have had a chance anyway?

I have to be a bit more diligent in watering because the air gets quite dry,
especially during the winter! A friend of mine tells me he gets his to
thrive because, in his experience, his orchids love very high humidity.

It does? I have a humidity problem in the winters. I don't let in much
outside air when it gets below -15C. The gas hob and shower generates
enough moisture to keep a steady 55-70%. Of course, I tend to get
problems with rot.

True enough, but it seems to me that winters have been rather milder over
the past few years compared to what I remember when I was young.

Not here. We had a very cold winter last year, with temperatures below
-20C and decent amounts of snow. That is the first time in about ten
years. -5 is the norm around here.

Geir