The Tree of Love

RAY: I thought this was a good puzzle for all the kids.

TOM: All the kids doing math problems?

RAY: Right, whose brains are a little bit creaky.

TOM: But, you know, and the only ones who would get this right would be the kids in aggie school.

RAY: Aggie school, right.

TOM: Right?

RAY: Yes.

TOM: All those mathematicians at MIT would get it wrong.

RAY: Right, and the kids in agricultural school would know --

TOM: Agricultural school would go, bingo.

RAY: -- that trees grow from the top. And the heart that was five feet above the ground is still five feet above the ground.

TOM: I was shocked to hear this. How can something grow from the top? There is no roots up there. There ain't no water up there.

RAY: There isn't no roots.

TOM: There isn't no roots up there. I mean, how can that be?

RAY: Well, it's one of those mysteries.

TOM: Huh? It is, huh?

RAY: The tree gets bigger in girth. But if a branch starts off at five feet above the ground, a carving, that's where it stays. Pretty much.

TOM: And it just adds to the top.

RAY: There you go.

TOM: To the top of what?

RAY: To the top of the tree.

TOM: But what if you did this when the tree was one foot tall? And you carved something down at the very bottom that was 2 inches off the ground.

RAY: It would still be there.

TOM: It would still be there.

RAY: Yeah. I don't believe it either.

TOM: That sounds like bull to me.

RAY: Well, like I said, i don't really believe it either but, it's close enough.

TOM: Geez, just take my word for it. Wow.

RAY: And who's going to win our 10th anniversary Car Talk T-shirt this week?

[ Car Talk Puzzler ]