Hope in the year of Fire and Smoke

Last summer was tension making - as I may have mentioned here before.  I slogged through a big move, packing and unpacking in a lovely new space taking a breath....and then.....the valley caught on fire.  There is an irony here, spending time and money to move a complete house to a new location only to have the location go up in smoke.  We were evacuated - half the town was and lived on tender hooks for quite a while while the intrepid firefighters battled spot fires and tried to save us.  I was so lucky.  My new dear little house dodged the fire bullet.  Lots of families weren't so lucky farther south.
But we lived through it.  And we lived through the smoke filled valley when the winds changed.  And we got on.
Which brings me to the challenge.
I belong to a wonderful guild here.  The desert Sage Spinners and Weavers guild.  They tolerate all fibre arts with joy and generosity.  So, weekly, I haul my latest sock down to the community centre and sit among like minded artists chatting, nurturing, and exchanging help and ideas.
Last fall, after we all took a breath when the fires were at last out and the fire camps closed down, we were presented with a challenge.
Create something using the colours of summer - the red of the fires, the greys of the smoke, the brown of the rocks, the green of the evergreens.  It was called the summer of fire and smoke.
So...here is what I did.
I call it HOPE.  Hope for a new beginning here in this lovely part of the Okanagan.  Hope for a peaceful, creative life here.  And hope that the winter rains and snow put enough moisture in the ground so we won't repeat last summer.

 I started out wet felting some lovely Mohair dyed by Cattails Farm Fibre - I bought 3 colours from her at the craft fair.
I then turned to needle felting and cutting out my shapes.  
Once I sort of had that under control, I got out the beads.

And here is the result.  Hope in the year of Fire and Smoke.