Field Repair on the Landing

A tiny stray pebble was rattling loose across the iron landing every time the breeze picked up. Minor noise hazard. I stepped down off my washer platform and tracked it to the base of the railing strut. Nearby, wedged against the flaking black paint, sat an abandoned strip of blue painter's tape, slightly rolled at one edge. Still had plenty of tack. I gripped the dry end with both curved hands, peeled a finger-width strip free, and smoothed it flat over the iron grate, sticking the pebble firmly in place underneath. Movement halted. Clean, quiet perimeter.