My daughter just called – she usually does toward the end of the day, this time to tell me she had spent the day digging up this and replacing that, moving some shrubs and finally sewing some new seed for the thinner spots in her small garden.

I have always gardened.  I identified with plants, knowing I was not deep rooted and yet a perennial. I knew I was not an annual even though my root system is shallow and I am an easy transplant. The virus brought back the image. Yes, easily transplanted and colorful yet like perennials, long lasting.  I am wilted but still living. Perhaps a hybrid.

At The Crossings most people are perennials I suspect. Perennials have deep root systems and have difficulty adapting to change.  My shallow roots have been moved many times and with an ability to survive climate change I am still here, virus or no virus, to enjoy yet another Spring.

Renée Levine is 94 and on lock down at the Crossings, the senior community she lives in. She has offered to write letters about her thoughts and the reality of this experience. If you have a message you would like to send her, please either email me at robin@ourstoriestoday.com or leave a comment below and I’ll be sure she receives it.