originally posted on Metroblogging Chicago

Walking over to Erica's house this week, I ran into this raccoon in Andersonville. (I mapquested it this week -- it's 1.65 miles from my place to Erica's. Soon I will have walked 500 miles just to be the man that falls down at her door.) It's been a couple of years since I've seen a raccoon in Chicago, but according to the DNR, they are more common in the Chicago area than in any other part of the state. A word to the wise: watch out for Raccoon Roundworm Encephalitis. Oh wait, you have to eat dirt or bark that has raccoon feces on it? Never mind then (unless you eat a lot of dirt or bark).