
Kentuckians Confused About Holes in Their Trash Toters
A few weeks ago, a friend of mine posted on social media asking who was responsible for the hole in her trash toter. As she rolled it down her driveway, she noticed a jagged opening on the lid that wasn't previously there. Was it a sanitation worker? Was there a reason for it?
A few other people chimed in saying that they also had noticed holes in their toters and were confused as to where they came from and why. As soon as I saw the post, I knew the answer.
National Squirrel Appreciation Day
Today just so happens to be National Squirrel Appreciation Day. While I do appreciate their role in the ecosystem, this story is more about how they can be a nuisance. Now, I do understand that my personal battles with the squirrels of Owensboro's Dogwood-Azalea neighborhood are strictly "first-world problems." However, they've been annoying and hilarious and may explain certain mysteries you may also face.
Squirrels VS. Spectrum
Several years ago we were having the worst time with our internet service. We'd called our service provider multiple times to go through the rigamarole of unplugging and restarting, etc. but coverage was spotty at best. Replaced routers, ethernet cords, and the whole nine yards.

After a couple of visits from very helpful service folks, a young man finally came who was adventurous enough to solve the problem. He discovered that squirrels had CHEWED through the line outside! It was hanging on just barely enough that we had a little service, but not enough for it to be good. He worked his magic and all was repaired.
Squirrels Love Pancakes
The next year, I noticed what my friends had been talking about on Facebook. A hole on the edge of the lid of our trash toter. About the size of a grapefruit, and it was like it happened overnight. One day, my family was outside doing yard work. I was pulling weeds on the side of the house when I heard some rustling and squeaking from inside the toter.
I stood up and looked over to check it out before going over to see what was up. All of a sudden, a squirrel climbed out of the hole with an entire pancake! I could not stop laughing. My loud cackle scared it away, but the squirrel held onto that snack and ran. Even though the pancake was bigger than it was, the squirrel flew down the driveway and up a tree before finding a safe place to finish eating its breakfast.
When I got closer to the toter, the light bulb went off. I examined the toter hole and realized that along the edge were tiny little teeth marks. That critter had been playing the long game. It chewed the hole so it could go dumpster diving whenever it was hungry.
If you have a mysterious hole in your trash toter, I would bet money it is the handiwork of a squirrel. Since today is their special day, you could consider leaving your garbage squirrel a pancake to show your appreciation.
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Gallery Credit: Dave Spencer