It is in keeping with our philosophy that courting doesn’t stop after honeymoon night

Appeared in newspapers in New Jersey and Florida

We are childhood sweethearts from Brooklyn. We have been married over 64 years and courting over 70 years. And that is how we keep our marriage and love alive. We never stopped courting. Like buying flowers for no special reason. That started when I worked in NYC and walked to the subway for my trip home. There were always inexpensive flower stands on the way. I guess being born and raised in Brooklyn I just could not get enough of the rare sight of flowers and greenery. I would buy several different bunches to get a large variety. I thought I was being creative. Maria told me years later that is called a spring bouquet. I should have started with the fact that we are each other's best friend since 13.

Courting to us was doing something special for the other and many surprises. Sometimes, to keep the surprise alive, the surprise-er would have to tell the surprise-e how to dress, i.e., jacket and or tie required. Maybe which direction to drive the car, i.e., living in NJ might require, “drive towards NYC. I have to admit loving NYC, and living in NJ, afforded many ways to surprise each other. There were special dinners, great plays in NYC, visit to museums having a special showing, Carnegie hall, lately the art shows in Naples and Bonita, a performance at the Barbara Mann Theater or Philharmonic in Naples, and on and on. Implied, but not obvious, in this Modus Operandi is the desire to outdo the other's last surprise. Neither Maria nor I have been able to top the bar that was set years ago.

One time we were at the SFO zoo and it was feeding time for the big cats. We stood at the knee wall that separated the caretaker's path that was a few feet from the big cages. There was a newborn tiger, rejected by its mother, in a cage all by itself. It was so cute and unfortunately cross-eyed. However, it was playing with a spot on the wall of the cage. Every time an employee, busy with the feeding of the mature cats, passed the little cub would try to snare him or her. I had to restrain Maria from climbing over the wall to get to that little cub just to touch it. I vowed, to myself, to find a way to enable Maria to play with baby lions or tigers.

In the Northwest corner of NJ is a private zoo and attraction called Space Farms. A marvelous all day outing for the entire family. One day in the newspaper was a photo of the daughter of the founder, Ms. Lori Space, playing with baby tiger cubs. It was publicity to inform local citizens that the zoo would be opening soon after a rather harsh winter. I saw this as my chance for the mother of all surprises. After writing to Ms. Space telling her of our courting MO, she agreed, under very special conditions, to let Maria feed baby cubs.

I told Maria to wear jeans and a jean jacket and off we went. She was totally confused for I drove in a direction that we had never ventured. On the way we passed, and stopped, to get up close to some newborn ponies. They would act as if they were attached at the hip to their mother. Suddenly run away kicking up their heels, and then return to the safety of mom. Anything we have not seen on the subway is a treat or an experience for us.

Maria thought that was the surprise but was confused when we got back in the car and continued the journey. When we got to Space Farms, I hustled Maria to a prearranged room where she was given instructions on how to bottle-feed the tiger cubs. She was over whelmed. Then she got to hand feed a two-month-old male cub raw meat. She was instructed how to hold her hand so that it did not become part of the meal. We then took advantage to see the rest of the zoo and its museum attractions. Maria kept trying to figure out which of the big lions, at the farm, was the mother of the cubs. Maria was so overwhelmed with the experience that she fell asleep in the car and slept all the way home.

A final important philosophy, Maria has her own duplicate TV remote.