Day 45

I am the Watcher on the Couch

6 x 6 inch oil on panel, © 2012 Kathleen Coy

NFS

We had a pretty big scare with Cloud on Sunday - we rushed him to the emergency vet clinic because he couldn't stop vomiting, and there was blood in it, and he was in a lot of pain. They got him stable and ran tests, and said they would call us when the results came back.

I painted this on Sunday while I was waiting for the doctor to call. Artwork is my solace and how I express myself. Anyone who knows me, knows how much I adore this little dog. I was a wreck, and painting him was a way to focus, and channel my anxiety. 

His blood work and x - rays came back pretty normal, and they kept him on pain meds and IV fluids overnight. We transfered him to his regular vet Monday morning. She treated him for pancreatitis, and monitored him all day. He is home now, resting quietly, still on pain meds. It may be 10 days before he is feeling better, she said.

About the painting, Cloud likes to hang out on the back of our couch so he can look out the window. He takes his guard duty very seriously. The title comes from George R.R. Martin's series A Song of Ice and Fire. The oath that is sworn when a man "takes the black" and becomes a brother of the Night's Watch is very beautiful, and goes like this: 

"Night gathers, and now my watch begins. It shall not end until my death. I shall take no wife, hold no lands, father no children. I shall wear no crowns and win no glory. I shall live and die at my post. I am the sword in the darkness. I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against the cold, the light that brings the dawn, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of men. I pledge my life and honor to the Night's Watch, for this night and all the nights to come."