Removing the "Garden"

Last month we have been getting letters from our HOA about weeding our flower beds. So we kept weeding the front beds, because those are the only real flower beds in our yard, but we kept getting letters. Then finally one day I was talking to Eric and said maybe it is our "Garden" that needs to be weeded. This whole " garden" project began a few years ago very enthusiastically, but as the ants moved into the garden I very quickly decided to abandon the project. Naturally, because I wasn't weeding and taking care of it regularly, the toads, ants, wasps, mice, and fence-high weeds found it an oasis. Could this be the possible problem with our yard?
It was time to begin the project of ripping it out and going back to grass. Much like Jana, I kept repeating "I am a brave girl" every few minutes to keep my spirits up. I was only in danger of having a heart attack once or twice as a toad jumped out of a hole in the bricks straight at my face. It took many hours of hard work and perspiration to get the job done, but it was worth it. It is not a garden now, only a little patch of dirt, but at least it is something that I can manage.
For right now, I will just be having a container garden.