Yesterday I was reminded of a conversation I had last summer which had me referencing a conversation I had over 40 years ago.  

I have this big tree, a blue spruce - probably planted about 65 years ago.  The top is full of pine cones which are now weighed down with heavy frost.  I think the top's gonna break off that tree.  It's happened before.  It'll be OK.

Last summer I was telling a friend about the hours of work I had ahead of me, raking and picking up an unusually large crop of pine cones around that tree and another blue spruce beside it.  He questioned how pine cones could come from a spruce tree.  "I don't think they're called pine cones", he said.

I said "I know they're called pine cones 'cause my Dad told me that when I questioned him when I was a boy."

I didn't go look it up at the library back then - I just trusted my Dad.  But, making use of modern technology this summer, I looked it up on my cel phone.  Yep, my Dad was right.  That made me happy.