All About Me

Hi, I’m Dawn, the creator of Thistle Be the Day, a place where you can read the musings and adventures of an enthusiastic grower (me).

Besides loving all things garden, I’m also an animal lover, becoming a vegan in 2001 and working in the animal care field for several years in both the animal rescue and veterinary sectors. In 2007 I decided to change careers after having my son and tried my hand at being an author and illustrator. I started my own publishing company, Sleepy Sheep Publishing, LLC, and have written, illustrated, and published four children’s books to date. They are: Drumsticks, Broccoli for Santa, Have You Ever Been Kissed By A Cow?, and Where’s My Cape? all of which have compassionate themes.

But, several years ago, what started as a gardening hobby, grew into a passion that I couldn’t ignore. So, here I am now, diving headfirst into flower farming!

Ever since I was a little kid growing up in rural Vermont, I wanted to own a farm. Our elderly neighbor, Floyd, used to indulge me by allowing me to romp through his farm hay fields and rolling hills. It was magical. Then our beautiful life happened, and I have yet to achieve the dream of owning acres of land. However, when I learned about micro-farming, I decided that perhaps it wasn’t too late to follow my dream of being a farmer.

​I’ve always had a fondness for flowers, not only for their beauty but also for how they bring happiness to others. So it seemed like a good fit, and I decided to start this adventure of spreading kindness through flowers. I dreamed of creating a place where we nurtured plants, the earth, and others. A place where the bees are so happy they whistle while they work. And thus, Whistling Bee Farm & Florals was planted.

My other passions include refurbishing old furniture and such, and you can often find me perusing salvage yards and flea markets looking for my next treasure. I also love photographing the world around me, especially what’s going on in my garden. I’m also a self-appointed foodie. I love everything to do with food: growing, harvesting, cooking, canning, baking, and especially eating it!

Finally, and most importantly, I’m a mother and wife who tries her best, with varying degrees of success, to get her family in the garden as much as possible. When I’m not busy on the farm among the flowers, I’m happily spending time with my husband, teenage son, and five furry adopted family members.

So there you have it, now you know all about me. Hopefully, we’ll laugh together and learn together because I believe the garden is an excellent teacher. Now, let’s get growing because Thistle Be the Day!

***Please note: All photography on this site, unless otherwise stated, was taken by and the property of the author. You are required to have ‘prior permission’ to use, borrow or display ANY photograph or text from this site. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved. Thank you for your compliance and understanding.