A GATE NEEDS A FENCE
“Look at that gate,” Allan called from the back seat off the car as we drove down a gravel road in eastern Montana. I looked at the perfectly ordinary gate and wondered why he had said that. Native grasses grew around its two sturdy posts. Four loose poles stood upright between them caught and held together with strong barbed wire. A wire loop on the top and another on the bottom fastened the last loose pole to the gatepost. A staple in the post kept the loop from working free in the wind or from slipping off when a steer rubbed against it. As a final guard against losing livestock, the owner had posted a sign: “Please keep gate closed.” “There’s nothing at all wrong with that gate,” I started to say. Then I noticed. No fence was attached to either side. I understand ineffective gates that are left open, vandalized or worn out. But a good gate without…
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