This is a true story that I just had to share with you all.

A friend of mine went to get on his lawnmower this afternoon and as he did, he noticed the tarp that he uses to cover a piece of equipment nearby was missing. What made it more startling was the fact that the tarp that he uses to cover his lawnmower was still in place, as was the gasoline can that he left sitting beside it.

His first thought was: Who would steal a tarp? So he called the sheriff's department.

"Is there a market for tarps?" he asked the dispatcher. "I don't think so," she responded with a slight chuckle.

On with his mowing he went, wondering all the while what could have happened to his tarp.

It was when he was nearing the end of his mowing that he rode by the place where a friend of his had been storing a car. What's this? The cloth cover had been stolen from it too!

To make a long story short (because I'm very good at telling long stories), my friend discovered a thief of the four-legged variety had entered his barn and made off with the items. How did he find out?

Judging by the marks left in the dust on the floor, he figured something had dragged the tarps to a location out of sight.

After a little investigation, he found the car cover crammed inside a narrow space between some boards, hidden within the recesses of the barn.

We both guessed that a raccoon or other small rodent -- faced with last night's sudden blast of chilly air -- had swiped the cloth to make a nest, in an attempt to keep warm.

Who would'a thunk?