Who Steals a Garbage Can, Anyway??

"There's nothing wrong with the younger generation that becoming taxpayers won't cure." ~Dan Bennett

Part 1

Friday is garbage and recycling day around here. Thursday night hubby and I always take down our enormous garbage can - standard size required by the trash company, even though we only fill it up about halfway each week, with the 2 of us - and 2 small plastic recycling bins.

Yesterday morning, I leave the house to go to work, drive down to the road (it's a long, sloping driveway, maybe 50 yards from house to road). 2 recycling bins sit on one side, waiting for pickup. No garbage can anywhere. I pick up my cell phone and call hubby, who's still up in the house, getting ready to leave.

"Sweetie? Did you bring the garbage can down last night?"

Pause. "What are you talking about?"

"Did you bring the garbage can down last night?"

"You saw me. "

"Um...it's not here."

"What do you mean, it's not there?"

"Our garbage can is missing."

"Is anyone else's there?"

"Everyone else's is here!"

"Are you sure it isn't in the ditch?"

Allie looks around for an over-sized gray can she may have missed lying on its side somewhere close by. "Yeah, I'm sure."

"Someone stole our garbage can? With the garbage in it?"

I just started to laugh. I mean, who steals a garbage can, anyway? Either someone who really can't afford to go out and buy one, or a bunch of kids playing a prank. Either way, I had to laugh. It was before 7 am and it was just too funny.

Hubby called the trash company, and the local cops, and they both said the same thing: "Yeah, that's been happening a lot around that area lately."

***

Part 2

Last night we went out to dinner, tried a new restaurant in a nearby town. It was about 6 or so when we left, and pouring rain. About a mile down the road, in front of a little historic farmhouse, sits a garbage can.

Now, no one's lived in that farmhouse for, let's say 100 years, and the local historic society uses it only a few times a year for Step-Back-inTime Open Houses. Hubby and I both look at each other.

"You think that's our garbage can?" More laughter.

On our way back, we stopped (still pouring rain, by the way) and checked. We'd left a bunch of black electrical tape around the handle, and lo and behold, this can had the same sort of tape wrapped around the handle! Even better, no garbage inside! Hey, thanks to whomever dumped it for us, anyway. (Note to anyone who might be worried about them going through and getting personal info: we burn everything paper, which means the only thing inside was some nasty food products and used plastic wrap, I think).

So we have our garbage can back, a little beat up and worse for wear (I think they dragged it down the road for a while). And I guess that means it was kids, screwing around. While theft doesn't thrill me, I suppose if the worst thing the local teens are doing is taking garbage cans and dropping them off a mile down the road, I can live with it.

You've gotta laugh, right?