Here's the ultimate "before" shot of the front of our house. Projects, left to right:
1. Lilacs with waist-high underforest of garlic mustard. Weeded by hand, edged, and mulched.
2. Maple tree, lost in big storm, summer 2003. Mom, Dad, and Great Grandma were visiting at the time, and Dad dragged it into the brush pile.
3. Barberry hedges in front of entry. Since pruned into submission.
4. Voluntary tree, roof-high! Removed with Mr. Dick Farquardt's chainsaw, spring 2003. In additional to smacking large branches against the house even in good weather, it housed many happy birds. Most notably, the nutso male cardinal who bloodied himself in repeated attacks against his own reflection in the second-story window. (When my grandmother was told about this, she said, "Is it a cardinal? Because cardinals will do that.") I never thought that birds could register facial expressions until I saw it sitting on a hedge the day after the tree was removed. He was obviously thinking, "Where the @#%$# is my @#$@#%ing tree?"
5. Evergreen (pine?), ratty and deer-bitten. Chainsawed.
6. Limestone slabs piled on well access (what is this called? The spout? The pipe?). Since replaced with fake hollow rock. When I lifted one of the stones to remove them, I found a huge toad and a yard-long snake co-habitating.
7. Redbud tree, all dead except for one branch. Dead branch just peeking into the right-hand edge of the photo. Also chainsawed.