Daisy followed him in, holding a wooden picking basket by both wire handles.

“Grandpa said we need to sort sixty dozen before four o’clock,” Daisy said.

“Set the tubs on the porch,” I told them.

“We’ll scrub the ears outside.”

We carried two galvanized tubs out to the back porch steps.

Ben filled the tubs with cold hose water while Daisy began pulling the green husks down to reveal the bright yellow kernels.

I sat at the wooden porch table, took the paper receipts out of my bag, and laid them in columns next to my monthly bank statements.