July 2009–February 2012

Two and a half years is a pretty good run for a Betta, I think. We made it through a couple of crises over the years: the great constipation panic (frozen peas, it turns out, are a fish laxative) and finding out that Bettas need a bowl heater in Chicago in the winter. When Sherman was young he was very active, swimming all over the place, making bubble nests in his bowl, and trying to eat Erica's fingers when she fed him. He's been a lot slower for the last year or so, but we still talk to him all the time and he was definitely part of the family. Y'all know how much Parker and Latte hate each other, but lately we've been finding both cats on the couch with us the same time, albeit at opposite ends. "Get over here, Sherman," we'd say, "let's get the whole family on the couch." We're going to miss our little guy.