The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The Good:  Free-range chickens (from left) Esmerelda, Gypsy, Pepita, and Victoria going after grass, seeds, and bugs near the barn.  Ladybug looking for aphids on a pea plant.

The Bad:  Some naughty little critter getting in under the garden gate and eating my ripe strawberries.  Naughty free-range chickens trying to include the back porch in their range--hiding from me behind a rose bush!

The Ugly:  Rust on the raspberry bushes despite spraying.  Mildew attacking my zucchini plant despite spraying.  Why do all the plants in the wild look so healthy, and the ones I'm taking care of get sick?  :(

But there's more Good depite the Bad and the Ugly because there are raspberries even on the "rusty" branches; we can't keep up with all the lettuce; we get some strawberries every day even if we don't have enough to freeze; there are some squash and zucchini coming along; and the first pea pods are starting to swell with petits pois!