Thistle enjoys art, poetry, and song.  Her training comes from anthropology/animal behavior/art courses in college and through community adult education programs.  She uses her skills to bring stories about animals to life through colored pencil drawings. The stories and illustrations are from real events in Thistle's yard. She hopes these stories inspire people to find wonder and joy in their yard and take care of all the little creatures who may wander into it, under the garden gate. 

Birds love to eat thistle seeds. At first glance, a thistle looks harsh with its prickly leaves and stem, but when you look closer, it is a very beautiful flower.  "I look beyond the surface and finds beauty in everything."

Thistle is the founder of the Under the Garden Gate Preservation Society, LLC which supports local non-profits focused on animal preservation and literacy.  Thistle is a certified ESOL tutor with Literacy Volunteers of Massachusetts.