Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

THE FRONT YARD — Some animals, like cats, have an enhanced ability to see in low light. Humans, not so much. So, while cats run around in the dark (with night-time vision that's six times better than humans), we have a tendency to walk directly into obstacles such as trailer hitches and tree branches.

But we humans are eternal optimists. Even though we struggle to see at night, we're still known to run around with reckless abandon. I remember being literally clotheslined at a Scout camp when I was younger. We were scrambling around after dark, playing games, and I ran directly into a rope that someone had strung between two trees to dry their clothes. It caught me in the throat, and I hit the ground like a load of bricks.

Extension cords can also pose hazards in the dark, like this one.

The action begins when a woman runs out into her yard after dark. Perhaps she's going to get something from her car. Maybe she just got the urge to feel the wind in her hair. Her foot catches on the extension cord that's powering an inflatable Christmas decoration in the yard, and she drops like one of those ridiculous soldiers in "Goldfinger." Her heroic husband then rushes outside to help, but he falls victim to the same cord.

The moral of the story? Don't run in the dark.

And if you do need to go outside at night, take a cat along to guide you.