Reclaiming My Front Yard (Part One) or The Way Things Were Before I Started

As per Karen's suggestion in a recent comment,
I've decided to share the following saga in three parts.

In April of 2006, my front yard looked like this ... overgrown and crowded ... with plants and trees as out of control as the Korean grass that had crept over the concrete footers, infiltrated the rocks of the stream-bed drainage area and sneaked under the Tam Junipers on the parkway in an unsightly manner.

Navigating the walkway toward the house, avoiding the overhanging bushes and the fruit-laden branches of the Dwarf Meyer Lemon tree, required special skill for the Postman and other visitors. Ms. Kitty enjoyed the jungle-like growth because it offered many hiding places, but to me ... it had become an embarrassing eyesore.

Returning from a Caribbean Cruise, I struggled to drag my suitcase up the sidewalk and into the house muttering under my breath. The next day on a whim, I purchased several pairs of gloves and a hand-held electric clipper at Osh and got started doing what I could to take charge of the mess and reclaim the yard.

This was no small task and took the better part of 6 months to accomplish, but little by little I succeeded in pruning, weeding, ripping out, and reclaiming the space. This is Part 1.

Part 2 (the gradual process of reclamation) and Part 3 (new plants and regrowth over time) will follow in separate installments.