Marty and the Roaring Twenties
Wide eyed of a new world that was always round him, and having missed his early childhood of asking, “Why? Why? Why?” David's twenties came in roaring.
He started to see life differently. He saw more than the chrom of his life; He started to see life with color. And not just with rose color glasses, but understanding there is more than just black and white in his world -- there was thousands and thousands of wonderful colors -- full of flurry and force, and with it his feelings. A new view for David.
These are those beginning adult years, and they began with...
Marty
David's life was starting a new adventure. And by “new adventure” really means his first. Such there were first during David’s childhood. His first adventure was moving with his high school sweetheart into their first apartment on Chicago’s northwest side. Something else came into David's new home, as well as into his heart - a black dog.
During David's childhood, his family shared two cats, three parakeets, sundry of goldfish, three turtles, and two guinea-pigs. On David’s birthday, his whole family went to a pet store and got Lynx, the family’s first cat. David’s mother disliked cats, but liked kittens. As Lynx the kitten grew into a cat, so did his need to spray. “No animal will lose their balls in this house,” decreed David’s father. Thus, Lynx was never neutered. Maybe David’s father would have changed his mind if it was his closet that smelled of Lynx’s urine instead of wife’s closet. And maybe that is why Lynx was buddy-buddy with David’s father. Lynx was the cat of David’s father. In fact, he even named the cat, Lynx.
He started to see life differently. He saw more than the chrom of his life; He started to see life with color. And not just with rose color glasses, but understanding there is more than just black and white in his world -- there was thousands and thousands of wonderful colors -- full of flurry and force, and with it his feelings. A new view for David.
These are those beginning adult years, and they began with...
Marty
David's life was starting a new adventure. And by “new adventure” really means his first. Such there were first during David’s childhood. His first adventure was moving with his high school sweetheart into their first apartment on Chicago’s northwest side. Something else came into David's new home, as well as into his heart - a black dog.
During David's childhood, his family shared two cats, three parakeets, sundry of goldfish, three turtles, and two guinea-pigs. On David’s birthday, his whole family went to a pet store and got Lynx, the family’s first cat. David’s mother disliked cats, but liked kittens. As Lynx the kitten grew into a cat, so did his need to spray. “No animal will lose their balls in this house,” decreed David’s father. Thus, Lynx was never neutered. Maybe David’s father would have changed his mind if it was his closet that smelled of Lynx’s urine instead of wife’s closet. And maybe that is why Lynx was buddy-buddy with David’s father. Lynx was the cat of David’s father. In fact, he even named the cat, Lynx.
Above: David's mother and Lynx.
Left: David and Lynn sleeping together [Jan 1969].
There was also Charlie, a miniature schnauzer dog, who came into the Gunnell family one summer from a co-worker-friend of David's mother. The co-worker-friend was moving to a different part of the country and her 2 year old dog needed a home. Charlie was more like a cat when it came to his independence. He could care less about anyone unless there was food involved or if anyone was going outside the house.
Left: David and Lynn sleeping together [Jan 1969].
There was also Charlie, a miniature schnauzer dog, who came into the Gunnell family one summer from a co-worker-friend of David's mother. The co-worker-friend was moving to a different part of the country and her 2 year old dog needed a home. Charlie was more like a cat when it came to his independence. He could care less about anyone unless there was food involved or if anyone was going outside the house.
Outdoors he would just run away and not listen to any commands. When on a leash, all he would do was pull to the end of the leash wanting to get away. David never felt the closeness of the "boy and his dog" with Charlie. Charlie would only listen to David's father. Like with Lynx, it was more of a “father and his dog" type of relationship.
Left: Charlie was a pedigree. His full name was Samson Toth del Marlee. His ear were never clipped.
Below Left: Lynn and Charlie.
Below Right: Charlie and David's father. Instead of a boy and his dog, it was more like a “father and his dog" type of relationship.
Left: Charlie was a pedigree. His full name was Samson Toth del Marlee. His ear were never clipped.
Below Left: Lynn and Charlie.
Below Right: Charlie and David's father. Instead of a boy and his dog, it was more like a “father and his dog" type of relationship.
avid wanted a dog for his own. A dog without his brothers or father. It was David’s mother that was the tie-in to David‘s new companion; Another co-worker of David's mother had a litter of puppies to give away. In Skokie, near the Old Orchard Shopping Mall, was where David's mother drove him to see the baby tail-waggers. Inside the co-worker’s home, she led David and his mother to the dining room where in the middle of the room was a brown cardboard box. Inside the box were five little puppies of colors in whites, browns, and blacks. Two were busy playing with each other.
ther was in a deep sleep. Only the black puppy and the brown puppy gave attention to the giant humans looking into their cardboard home. They both got on their rear legs and reached up with their front paws trying to find the high edge of the box. They were too little to touch the box's edge. The brown puppy was the smallest of the litter who kept falling as if his rear legs were too new to stand. David felt for the brown puppy by picked him out of the box and into his lap where it nuzzle and rested.
"That's the runt of the litter," announce the co-worker. "You don't want that one."
David's mother explained to him what the word runt meant. Now, David even felt more for the small sleeping puppy that warmed his thighs. "Who would be your next choice if this puppy wasn't in the box?" asked David's mother.
David only looked at the remaining four puppies. Only the black one was still doing his "pick me" dance.
David‘s mother knew her middle son. She appreciated what was going through David’s head. “Let’s leave David alone with the puppies for a few minutes," said David's mother as she ushered her co-worker into the kitchen. Alone in the room with the puppies, inside David’s spirit held a conversation with the resting brown puppy.
So what if you are the runt. Does that mean nobody wants you? You’re an outcast? It just means you’re the baby of the pack -- the youngest. I understand about being pushed aside and forgotten.
David’s mother reentered the dining room. “Did you pick another puppy?”
David just looked at his lap watching the brown puppy’s abdomen move up and down during it’s sleeping breaths.
She knew that stance on David’s face. “You know,” she said as she knelt next to him, “just because his the runt of the litter doesn’t mean he’ll be unwanted. Right now, it just means that he can’t leave the litter until he gets bigger and stronger. If you want to bring home a puppy today, you’ll have to pick another.”
“I can wait and pick him up later when he is stronger,” said David who was still looking down at the quiet resting puppy in the fold of his legs.
“Look how this black puppy is trying to get your attention,” she reply referring to the “pick-me” dancing pup inside the box.
David picked the black puppy from the box. It wiggled and squirmed in David’s hand to the point that it got free on the floor outside the box. The black puppy landed on its belly with its legs spread out in four directions. It quickly got up on its four legs and zigzag from still learning to walk. Instead of acting like Charlie-the-dog and run away, he came toward David’s knee and started the “pick-me” dance. Inside David’s head was another conversation with the black puppy jumping at his knee, and this time, it was the black pup speaking:
Pick me! Pick me! Isn’t a boy and his dog to pick each other? My baby brother just sleeps in your lap and I want to play. I’m your dog. I’m the one that’s to be your best friend. It is me that should be in your lap!
What will happen to your brown baby brother?
He needs a little more time to get bigger and stronger. He needs to stay here until then. And then, some loving family will take him home with them. Someone who he picks. And he will be their dog. Their best friend. I‘m your dog.
At that moment, the black pup stopped his dance. It was as if he was doing the chitchat inside David’s head. He stood on all four legs, tilted his head to the right, and focus his eyes onto David’s face. His black eyes filled with wonder, filled with joy, filled with “I pick you!”
David picked up the black pup and bought him to his face, where the pup licked David’s face with kisses.
I pick you!
Lick!
I pick you!
Lick! Lick!
I pick you!
A big smile came across David’s face.
Okay, now. Put me down and say your good-byes to my little brother.
David put the black pup on the floor next to his knee where his was dancing before. With both hands, David picked up the sleeping brown puppy still in it curl of sleep and brought him to his face. Its eyes still closed in its deep sleep. David said out loud, “Bye, little guy. Get stronger so you can pick your human.” David kissed him on top of its head and put him back into the box. The brown puppy slept through the movement.
“So, does that mean you pick the black one?” asked David’s mother.
David picked up the patiently waiting black pup off the floor, and said, “No, he picked me.”
With a new black puppy coming into David’s life, a name was needed. Marty was the suitable name given to the pup. For David and his girlfriend, deciding what to do on a weekend night, had an ongoing joke that when like this:
"That's the runt of the litter," announce the co-worker. "You don't want that one."
David's mother explained to him what the word runt meant. Now, David even felt more for the small sleeping puppy that warmed his thighs. "Who would be your next choice if this puppy wasn't in the box?" asked David's mother.
David only looked at the remaining four puppies. Only the black one was still doing his "pick me" dance.
David‘s mother knew her middle son. She appreciated what was going through David’s head. “Let’s leave David alone with the puppies for a few minutes," said David's mother as she ushered her co-worker into the kitchen. Alone in the room with the puppies, inside David’s spirit held a conversation with the resting brown puppy.
So what if you are the runt. Does that mean nobody wants you? You’re an outcast? It just means you’re the baby of the pack -- the youngest. I understand about being pushed aside and forgotten.
David’s mother reentered the dining room. “Did you pick another puppy?”
David just looked at his lap watching the brown puppy’s abdomen move up and down during it’s sleeping breaths.
She knew that stance on David’s face. “You know,” she said as she knelt next to him, “just because his the runt of the litter doesn’t mean he’ll be unwanted. Right now, it just means that he can’t leave the litter until he gets bigger and stronger. If you want to bring home a puppy today, you’ll have to pick another.”
“I can wait and pick him up later when he is stronger,” said David who was still looking down at the quiet resting puppy in the fold of his legs.
“Look how this black puppy is trying to get your attention,” she reply referring to the “pick-me” dancing pup inside the box.
David picked the black puppy from the box. It wiggled and squirmed in David’s hand to the point that it got free on the floor outside the box. The black puppy landed on its belly with its legs spread out in four directions. It quickly got up on its four legs and zigzag from still learning to walk. Instead of acting like Charlie-the-dog and run away, he came toward David’s knee and started the “pick-me” dance. Inside David’s head was another conversation with the black puppy jumping at his knee, and this time, it was the black pup speaking:
Pick me! Pick me! Isn’t a boy and his dog to pick each other? My baby brother just sleeps in your lap and I want to play. I’m your dog. I’m the one that’s to be your best friend. It is me that should be in your lap!
What will happen to your brown baby brother?
He needs a little more time to get bigger and stronger. He needs to stay here until then. And then, some loving family will take him home with them. Someone who he picks. And he will be their dog. Their best friend. I‘m your dog.
At that moment, the black pup stopped his dance. It was as if he was doing the chitchat inside David’s head. He stood on all four legs, tilted his head to the right, and focus his eyes onto David’s face. His black eyes filled with wonder, filled with joy, filled with “I pick you!”
David picked up the black pup and bought him to his face, where the pup licked David’s face with kisses.
I pick you!
Lick!
I pick you!
Lick! Lick!
I pick you!
A big smile came across David’s face.
Okay, now. Put me down and say your good-byes to my little brother.
David put the black pup on the floor next to his knee where his was dancing before. With both hands, David picked up the sleeping brown puppy still in it curl of sleep and brought him to his face. Its eyes still closed in its deep sleep. David said out loud, “Bye, little guy. Get stronger so you can pick your human.” David kissed him on top of its head and put him back into the box. The brown puppy slept through the movement.
“So, does that mean you pick the black one?” asked David’s mother.
David picked up the patiently waiting black pup off the floor, and said, “No, he picked me.”
With a new black puppy coming into David’s life, a name was needed. Marty was the suitable name given to the pup. For David and his girlfriend, deciding what to do on a weekend night, had an ongoing joke that when like this: