Tree Crazy

Yesterday I went to the dentist to have a small filling replaced. I like my dentist very much. He has a funny name -- it brings to mind a silly nickname that I always think of but never call him out loud, or at least, not to his face. Also, he has very small hands. Normally I find that somewhat disconcerting in a man, but I think it's an absolute necessity for a dentist.

Anyway, yesterday I was in the chair and he pointed out a tree outside the window, directly in my line of sight. It was a sycamore, and he was telling me that someone had told him that if there were two balls (I corrected him, buttonballs) on the same twig, it was a London something tree (again, I corrected him, London plane tree). He wanted to know if that was true, about the two buttonballs indicating a London plane. I told him I didn't know, but that I knew someone who would. Then I told him about the very famous sycamore up in Simsbury and he started getting really excited.

He asked me how I knew so much about sycamores, and I said I had a friend who was an expert.

I hope he will get the answers about that tree in front of his office. He was very curious about it.