Molly was trying to get me to stay home so I wouldn’t catch the novel coronavirus, COVID-19, which is dangerous for older people. Only two weeks ago! It seems like months.

My niece Rosemary told me that at her house in Evanston, Illinois, the family dog, Sven, is “overjoyed to have the whole family home 24/7.” With three boys and their parents always around, Sven has plenty of company, games of chase-the-stick, possible food tidbits falling under the table and the knowledge that all of his loved ones are gathered together right there in one place, with him. For dogs, the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders must come as a great and unexpected blessing.

What about cats? They’re harder to read. My cat Jupiter marches around the apartment meowing at me, his version of ordering me around. Sometimes he seems to have no clear idea in mind of what he is carrying on about when I call him on it.

“What? What do you want? Jupiter, what?”

I think his position is that, since apparently I am going to be hanging around the house, I could be doing more for him. Something he can turn up his nose at before stalking off, waving his tail.

So much has happened during the last month as public awareness of COVID-19 has grown.

On Feb. 19, the Public Health Department of Seattle and King County, Washington, issued a brief informational document that began: “Novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new virus strain spreading from person-to-person in China and other countries, including the United States.”

“Right now,” the report continued, “the novel coronavirus has not been spreading widely in the United States …”

On March 23, Washington Gov. Jay Inslee issued a two-week stay-at-home order for people without “essential” jobs.

On March 29, The New York Times reported, “The Seattle area, home of the first known coronavirus case in the United States (in January) and the place where the virus claimed 37 of its first 50 victims, is now seeing evidence that strict containment strategies, imposed in the earliest days of the outbreak, are beginning to pay off — at least for now.”

New York state is now the so-called hotspot for COVID-19.

Not to represent myself as a socialite, but three weeks ago I was hugging friends and eating dinner in restaurants. A week and a half ago I was still working in a retail store. No longer.

The state road, Route 73, is so quiet you can hear a car coming a mile away, I swear. Some people are still hiking. Some people who have second homes in the area are still arriving to get away from the virus threat in the cities, but hotels are considered nonessential and closed by state order.

The term essential has become part of the national vocabulary, and there has been some dispute over which jobs are essential.

In Keene Valley, at this writing, the gym, the Noon Mark Diner, the Birch Store and the library are all closed. Call the Ausable Inn and Mountain Coffee for takeout. Valley Grocery is making deliveries and putting together takeout grocery orders; the Hardware is open, allowing one customer in at a time.

The Mountaineer has suspended business hours, although their online store is open. On the Mountaineer website: “These are unprecedented times. Be patient, stay put, and stay safe. The mountains will be here.”

In Keene, Stewart’s convenience store is open. East Branch Organics, combination liquor store and plant nursery–both deemed essential businesses–are open, and owners Tom and Heather Coffin will make deliveries. Check out the shelves of Cedar Run on Instagram and Cedarrunbakery.com for foods to purchase and take out. Cedar Run also has a liquor store that is open.

What do the wild animals of the Adirondacks, the true natives, now emerging from hibernation just as we humans enter out stay-at-home quarantine, make of this new more-than-mud-season quietude?

According to my friend Lorna, These woodland denizens now have greater than usual freedom of movement, basically the run of the place. What, she wonders aloud, will they do when the restrictions on humans are relaxed again? Will we have even more wildlife in town? Will deer and bear and coyotes be running the roads to a greater extent even than usual, as if they owned the place?

We’ll see.

Have a good week.