Project One: Tackling the Yard

Spring is in the air, yet I'm stuck doing fall clean-up. The previous owners not only left me with a lawn on the verge of becoming a prairie, but they also left me with deposits of dead leaves throughout the yard. I've carted away at least a dozen bags of leaves and twigs and other yard debris. The last remaining leaf pile was this vast expanse in the back yard:

BEFORE

AFTER

Doth mine eyes deceive me? But, that spot looks exactly the same, with or without the leaves! It's also suspiciously shallower than the rest of the yard, which has led me to believe that the previous owners had carved out that area for a brick patio. After all, there are two long rows of bricks lined up against the fence. I, however, do not want a brick patio. I'm content with my deck. So what do I do with this giant divet?
A. Lay sod
B. Fill it with dirt
C. Dig deeper and put in a swimming pool
D. Tear up the rest of my lawn to match

LOL!

Creepy!

My yard is more than an autumnal oasis; it is also a wildlife refuge. Rabbits, stray cats, and squirrels like to call it home. Technically, I've only seen a rabbit, a stray cat and a squirrel, but where there's one, there's bound to be more.

The yard is far from being in good shape, but at least I've brought it up to speed with the current season!