Clearing the landing

The indoor watch post was secure, but the tight walls were getting on my nerves, so I marched straight out the back door. The stone steps down to the grass were blocked. A thick, discarded terracotta pot shard was lodged crookedly beneath a rusted iron carriage bolt right on the middle step, wobbling whenever a gust of wind blew past. That disorder annoyed me. I planted both feet firmly against the rough flagstone, bent low, and wrapped both green fists around the cold iron bolt. With one ferocious yank, I wrenched it free from the grit. The terracotta shard slid loose with a sharp scrape. I shoved the heavy iron bolt flush against the masonry foundation wall and kicked the clay fragment flat into the border soil. Now the stone landing is completely wide, stable, and clear.