Three days before Valentine’s Day, my wife gave me a priceless gift. She demonstrated the ability and initiative to think like an engineer. After 30-plus years of marriage, she’s starting to understand me in a way that feels both surprising and deeply fulfilling.

A few of her figs waiting for Spring

Let me explain. My wife pours her heart into two things: dogs and gardening. But her true passion—her obsession—is fig trees. We have fig trees everywhere. All varieties, all types. In the coldest times, she crams the greenhouse full of containers of fig trees, leaving barely enough room to step inside. And when space runs out, well, the house becomes a temporary fig sanctuary.

Me? I’m all about technology. Three computers and five monitors at my desk. Not to mention, my 3D printer, my CNC and my laser etcher. I live for technology. The moment ChatGPT opened up for subscriptions, I didn’t hesitate—I subscribed immediately. I shared access with my wife, but let’s be honest, it was for me. When she started using ChatGPT, I was amused. My wife and technology? That’s like oil and water.

But she kept using it. She used ChatGPT to plan her planting schedules, diagnose plant diseases, and even calculate how much hay to buy for our horse. She used it to determine how much storage space we’d need for the hay.

That was impressive—but it still wasn’t engineering. I admired her resourcefulness, but it wasn’t quite the same as true analytical thinking.

Then, this morning, she gave me a gift I never expected.

“I’ve been using Chat to check on fig types to see how well they’d grow here.” (The big Figaholics sale was happening, of course.) “I put in all the types we’ve grown and compared Chat’s responses with my experience. That way, I can see how accurate Chat is. Once I know that, I’ll have a solid baseline to trust its answers for new varieties.”

I was stunned. And overjoyed.

This was my wife—fact-checking ChatGPT, applying her own experience as a control, and using real-world data to verify and project future outcomes.

This is how engineers think. We don’t blindly trust outside information—we test it against what we know to be true. We verify, refine, and only then do we rely on it. And now, my wife was doing exactly that.

Venn – has her own processes

I do this automatically. I do it with people, with my readers, with everything I engage with. My wife has endured this mindset for years. I would probably do it with Venn if she could talk.

Hearing her describe her process filled me with admiration—and, for just a moment, made me want to bake her a cake. A heartfelt, “I see you, and I love you” kind of cake.

Luckily, reality set in before I could attempt that disaster. My wife may be developing the mind of an engineer, but my ability to bake hasn’t magically improved. And, let’s be real, the egg shortage made sure of that anyway.

So there was only one thing left for me to do—turn to technology.

I used Songer to create a song and ChatGpt to provide the cake.

The Cake (it’s flavored with figs)

And the lyrics:

[Verse 1]
Woke up this morning, the sun shining bright,
It’s Valentine’s Day, and everything feels right.
Carol, my love, here’s my heart on display,
In our little garden where we laugh and play.
With Ronin, Oliver, and Venn by our side,
They wag their tails, our love’s the perfect guide.

[Chorus]
Oh, Carol, you’re my muse, you make life so grand,
With you in my world, I can always withstand.
In the garden of dreams, where the flowers bloom,
Valentine’s Day magic, love filling the room.

[Verse 2]
Like an engineer, I’ve mapped out my heart,
Building this life, oh, we’ll never drift apart.
Calculating metrics of our love so true,
With every little detail, I’m lost in you.
We stroll through the petals, hand in hand,
Our hearts beating softly, like a perfect band.

[Chorus]
Oh, Carol, you’re my muse, you make life so grand,
With you in my world, I can always withstand.
In the garden of dreams, where the flowers bloom,
Valentine’s Day magic, love filling the room.

[Bridge]
Let’s watch the stars twinkle, as the night unfolds,
With Ronin’s bark echoing, and stories untold.
Oliver chases shadows, Venn wants to play,
In this symphony of love, we’ll forever stay.

[Chorus]
Oh, Carol, you’re my muse, you make life so grand,
With you in my world, I can always withstand.
In the garden of dreams, where the flowers bloom,
Valentine’s Day magic, love filling the room.

[Outro]
So here’s to us, my wife, my best friend,
In our little paradise, where love has no end.
From gardens to laughter, and dogs running free,
Happy Valentine’s Day, Carol, just you and me.

PS: The dogs also wanted credit for this, mainly for leaving me alone while I wrote.

Oliver, Venn, Ronin and Blaze (our current foster)

© 2025, Byron Seastrunk. All rights reserved.