Well, fortunately that little shaker did no more than remind us that, hey, we live in earthquake country. We've been through worse.

Uh, sort of like volcanoes. Driving into work on Super-Duper Deadline Day at oh-dark hundred, light, powdery flakes fell down upon the roads. With a Code Ernie orange alert for Redoubt Volcano issued from our good scientist friends at the Alaska Volcano Observatory, the Betster wondered for a moment if that powdery stuff might be, uh-oh, volcanic ash. Fortunately, it was good old fashioned snow.

But you never know. "You never know" is situational normal here in Alaska, where if you're an Alaskan born in 1986 or earlier you'll have seen three volcanoes blow. With luck and the blessings of Ma Nature, God or Pele, Redoubt will calm down, or at least not erupt until you've enjoyed that well-deserved vacation to Kauai.

So get out your dust masks, put a pair of old stockings in the glove compartment, and get ready for anything even if it's just a wild weekend of these Best Bets:

BEST A GOOD FUN YARN: Need inspiration for a knitting project? Want to be honored for knitting during a play? Unravel the mysteries of mental illness and get started on a scarf with Kristina Wong's "Wong Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." Flash your knitting needles and Wong will give you a ball of yarn to play with. The performance piece is at 7:30 p.m. today-Saturday at Bunnell Street Arts Center. Admission is a suggested $15.

BEST WILD WOMEN BET: The sixth annual Kachemak Ski for Women is a race, you betcha, but it's also a time to be a little silly and put on crazy costumes. So get out the Chunky Monkey shoes, the Kawasaki shades and the silk Valentino jacket and play dress up. Registration starts at noon Sunday, with the race at 1 p.m. It's a ski for women, but not of women, so guys don't have to go in drag although, why not? The race benefits South Peninsula Haven House.

BEST HOOPSTASTIC BET: Holy Free Throw! There are so many basketball games this weekend the action overflows onto the Homer Middle School gym. Homer plays Colony and Palmer. Games start at 5:30 p.m. Friday. See the Calendar, page 18, for the full schedule.

BEST FISH ON BET: Camping on the Homer Spit and trying to get a big king at the Fishing Hole is a long way from subsistence fishing but it's a good start. If you want to learn about the real thing, check out the Pratt Museum's Dena'ina Fish Camp exhibit, opening 5-7 p.m. Tuesday. At 7 p.m. the museum holds its annual meeting, and invites people to share ideas on its future plans.

BEST GOOD TIMING BET: That's the whole idea of the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve's Discovery Lab program: giving us cool science information we can use. This week's lab is particularly timely "Fire and Ice: Volcanoes and Glaciers." If the volcano blows, there might even be a little science in action. How's that for a teaching moment? The lab is 3-5 p.m. Wednesday at Alaska Islands and Ocean Visitor Center.