Bittersweet Backyard

The backyard is beautiful.  Like from a storybook. The lot is about an acre and a half.  Currently the 75 feet facing the back road isn't ours.  The bank divided the plot and gave it to the previous owner so all liens would go to it.  But now the town of Dewitt is suing Bank if America because the divide was illegal so it may come back to us.  We don't care.  It's so small nothing can be done with it.  Hard to access it with the pond.  The pond itself both adds to the yard and irritates me.  It's kind if gross looking as it hasn't been taken care of and scares me with the kids.  We are going to do something about it but not sure what. 

Here's the entrance to the patio area. 

And the patio and deck. The slate is a little rough, but this is way down on the list!!  We already had a landscaper here pulling down and cleaning up, including some tree bushes that lined the patio that had gotten wild and had to go.  They had been beautiful at one time. I like the ivy on the walls Todd wants it gone. What do you think?

Most of the back of the house.  Without our room or the bird's. I love it.