When I was a young photographer I was assigned to do a photo story on an unforgettable woman named Era Zistel. At the time, she was somewhat elderly, but still an exceptionally fiesty animal books author who lived in the Catskill Mountains in New York’s Sullivan County. Well, the animals had no better advocate than Era. She lived alone in a small cabin sans plumbed in heat and running water, sleeping with a .45 caliber revolver under her pillow. Era loved cats, but she was also very fond of raccoons. She adopted a couple of furry orphans early on, but by the time of our meeting, was feeding 30-50 wild raccoons a night! I am sure she spent a large portion of her earnings feeding these critters, but didn’t seem to mind at all. She was delighted that the mother raccoons brought their babies with them, and,spending many a night observing this magical scene, I was delighted too.
Anyway, although that was some 40 years ago, every time I see a raccoon like these two last night, I think back fondly of Era and her wonderful books, bohemian lifestyle, independent nature and unabashed love of all her creatures..
Some of her titles are Hi Fella, The Gentle People, A Gathering of Cats, Thistle and Company, Orphan, Good Companions and many others. A lot of her books are out of print, but if you ever have the good fortune to come across one, give it a read. You will not be disappointed. Check Amazon here.