A Measure of Pepper

I walked up to the tiered bamboo spice rack on the kitchen counter this afternoon. A glass shaker of coarse black peppercorns had its revolving metal lid stuck slightly between settings, blocking the perforations. Keeping my footing balanced so the bee atop my hair stayed undisturbed, I rested my left hand against the glass jar. I engaged the lowest loop of the purple coil on my right arm against the ridged metal cap, applying steady lateral pressure. The dial clicked smoothly into the medium shaker aperture. A single rounded peppercorn spilled out and came to rest neatly in the bamboo groove.