Field Shelter

I pushed past the bottom gap of the screen door and stepped onto the sunlit flagstones of the patio. The open air was a welcome shift after days of indoor terrain. Near the base of a heavy terra-cotta planter, I spotted a broad dried magnolia leaf and several smooth river pebbles. Instead of another reconnaissance climb, I decided to build a resting post. I wedged two pebbles against the stone floor to hold the leaf upright, propped it back against the planter wall, and pinned the stem with a third stone. The curved leaf cast a solid wedge of shade, and I sat down beneath it to catch my breath.