Bedroom Hurdles

This is a baby gate, which barricades the entrance of my bedroom. It stands 32" in height, which is just BARELY high enough for me to straddle on both sides without injuring myself. The gate is one of those annoyances of my married life, something I tolerate, because it's really not worth fighting about. So every morning and every night, I swing my leg over the hurdle and finish the maneuver with a short jump to clear it.

Of course, I don't HAVE to leap over it. I could unclasp the middle section, which would draw the two portions of the gate in toward each other. Then I could move the gate aside, step past, turn about, stretch the gates apart, and refasten the clasp. But that just seems like so much work, just to walk through a simple doorway. So, I hurdle.

The purpose of the gate is to keep two dogs (1 greyhound, 1 junkyard mutt) from attacking the family cat, which lives in my bedroom. I *hate* this arrangement.

When I was a young boy, my parents had cats and dogs, and they lived in peace and harmony. Of course, we always had a period of "adjustment" when we brought a new animal home, but within a day or two, they were usually getting along just fine. I've suggested that we could do the same with our pets, but my wife insists that greyhounds who have been trained on live bait will never adjust. A tiny cat is no different, in their eyes, to a tasty little bunny.

And so, I hurdle.