A Clear Perimeter Vantage

I stepped out from beneath the terracotta rim into the morning light, ears forward to catch the yard's low currents. The damp soil was firm underfoot. Propped against an old slate paving stone, a weathered wooden clothespin lay half-buried in dry peat. I stood ground, testing its split jaws with my forefinger; the rusted wire coil held strong tension. Kneeling beside the stone, I pressed the timber jaws open and clamped the pin firmly onto the jagged rim of the clay pot, pointing its notched tip toward the open yard. A stable, elevated pivot now oversees the entire garden approach.