Welcome & All The Very Best! Great Place This One!

Sorry for the delayed reply, things get a little crazy around here sometimes.
The zone map for my area is a little wonky, it says I'm zone 5B but another zone cuts in here too, but I assume the two zones for Colorado are similar enough to be able to get away with things suggested for both zones as long as one uses a little bit of common sense.
To be specific I'm in Pueblo Colorado :)
It's really awesome to meet all of you guys and after such a friendly reception I very much look forward to the journey ahead.
I tried to post pictures using the IMG code after I hit five posts my first night, I'll try again here in a few and if it's still giving me an error I'll lurk around and see about posting in a few more places to get my count up so I can show you guys my little green friend :D

---------- Post added at 09:25 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:24 AM ----------

http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL10.../411222779.jpg

AHA!!! I was worried about the bottom right leaf for a while, it's slightly wilty at the bottom edge there and has been more droopy with the patch of color since I got it, but it doesn't seem to be changing at all.
The coming blooms, complete with ancient lazy black dog in the background lol
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL10.../411222780.jpg
The whole plant in one shot, more black dog
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL10.../411222781.jpg

Assuming you are on city water, you can get a copy of your water report at Board of Water Works, Pueblo, Colorado.

The main thing I see as an issue with your water is high total dissolved solids (TDS) which should not exceed 200 ppm. Your city water is around 250 ppm, so you could probably use some tap water, but "cut" it by adding some purified water (maybe 1 gallon tap water to 1 gallon purified).

We just do not realise how blessed we are in most of Australia with our town water.

There is a bit of chlorine in it by law but leave the water in a bucket in the sun for a few hours and the chlorine goes and the water is the best.

I have done the water in the bucket trick when I had too and it works just fine. It's a bit of a hassle, but beats paying for bottled water.:twocents:

I may eventually get comfortable enough to just water it along with most of the rest of my plants, right now though I'm still in that state of paranoia about killing it :blushing: a gallon of the bottled stuff I get is .69 cents on sale and it only goes to my orchid and my violets right now so it's not a huge deal.

I've noticed this morning that one of the flowers is opening! :banana: It's the biggest one, I can't wait to wake up one morning to see all those amazing white flowers.

---------- Post added at 09:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:32 AM ----------

I just pulled out my TDS tester, it's not the best one on the market but it works well enough, it read 199ppm out of the kitchen tap, much better than it's been in quite some time.
Here's the flower that's opening up.
http://pic100.picturetrail.com/VOL10.../411240581.jpg

Figured I'd update, been a crazy summer so I haven't spent much time near the PC.
The flowers finally fell off and the spike died all the way back, last year only about 1/3 of the spike died, this year it died back all the way to the base of the plant. I trimmed it off, discovered that dog nail clippers work great for cutting plants (who knew?) and a few days later I had the tip of a new leaf emerging from the center of the existing leaves.
Super thrilled.

Your little friend looks very happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Some people cut the whole spike off after a Phalaenopsis flowers. Others leave it, hoping it throws a new plantlet from one of the bracts, or more flowers.