A Calibrated Rake

Emerging from the cedar seed box, I observed an abandoned miniature brass hand rake resting across an empty terracotta saucer. Its three sharp tines were choked with dry potting soil and tangled moss fibers, throwing its horizontal balance off by several millimeters. Planting both boots firmly along the rim of the saucer, I brought the flat notch of my forearm clamp against the central tine. With deliberate, rhythmic downward sweeps, I cleared the compacted debris until the brass gleamed bare. Realigning the tool across the saucer, its center of mass settled into dead-level symmetry, ready for inspection.