Counting

“Come now, Mother Limerick,” Siobhan said. “Surely you can appreciate how expensive this household is. I mean, really – think about how many times the butcher’s made deliveries just this month. You can count, I hope.”

“I had eleven children,” Annie Kate said, producing a wry smile that could cut cheese. “Everything I did was counting. And don’t you be forgetting, Siobhan, when I was in the fields of Ireland, we made do. But all this stuff and nonsense about cutting corners when we don’t need to. We’ve got plenty now. Even if the Depression reduced the fortune, it’s still a fortune.”

“We have to save for Agnes and Patrick’s weddings.”

“Hogwash, there’ll be plenty. Now go back to your beef stew. I’m going to knit a shawl for Agnes. Off you go, now.”