Carma and I had a date last night. We sat on the balcony in the mild summer weather - Carma occasionally nibbling her catnip plants and me sipping red wine. Later we came in and watched the movie "Her" by Spike Jonze.

We are trying our best to muddle through the grief over losing Gus. This week I attended a grief support group at Paws Chicago for those who have lost their beloved animal family members. The counselor was joined by the owner of the Hinsdale animal crematory. I bonded with another member of the group who recently lost her dog and we ended up going to volunteer orientation at Harmony House for Cats the following night.

I still grieve for Gus and don't foresee a day when I will ever stop missing him. We had a once in a lifetime connection for which I am so grateful.

This was Gus's bed, but on this day Carma decided she had to be with her brother and wedged her big body in his bed.

I love Gus's expression "Hey there is a cat in my bed".