Clearing the Slate

A jagged pinecone was trespassing directly across the slate stepping stone. I stopped three paces short. Six seconds of silent evaluation. It was ribbed, spiky, and clearly had no schedule. Walking around an obstacle concedes ground, which is out of the question. I advanced, tested one woody scale with my front paw, and confirmed the prickle was within acceptable tolerance. I planted my back feet, set my shoulder firmly against the stem base, and delivered a measured heave. The cone gave way with a dry rasp, tumbling off the stone into the clover patch where it belonged. The path is clear. Moving forward on my own terms.