Is it just me, or have other newbies done really STUPID things to their
plants? My top two: (1) While vacuuming a corner of the sunroom, I took
off the sweeper attachment and used just the vacuum tube. When I
turned to maneuver the hose, I sucked up an orchid while I was looking
the other way. (2) When I bought my first Nobile dendrobium, it bloomed
then dropped its leaves. I though that it must be like a phal's bloom
spikes and promptly cut off all the canes at their base. Then I read
the orchid book for instructions on what to do next...

Sometimes, people ask me whether I'm worried that my cats will do harm
to the orchids. Well, no. The orchids' biggest danger is probably from
me.