Thanks.  I've gone ahead and put down soil and raked in some additional seed.  If it makes it even a little better, it will have been time/money well spent (and not much of either, frankly).  2/3 of the strip between the sidewalk and street looks like shit, too.  Lord knows what the previous owners had going on.  The remaining third is lush.
 
	Stay tuned on that--and for the backyard follies once that project gets underway.