So last weekend the Betster was catching some rays down on the Spit. I had my beach chair, my beach towel, my trashy beach novel, my SPF-32 sun block and, of course, my shades. I thought of stripping to my bathing suit, but hey, there were visiting foreign wildlife photographers in town. Would you want to show up in some Brit's slide show lookin' like a beached beluga?

OK, temps in the high 30s might not count as tropical in, well, the tropics, but hey, here at Latitude 59 degrees and some change, sunshine and above freezing in late February and early March is frightening. We've got wayward birds that shouldn't be here until May — or might never have left — and reports of mountain lions on the prowl. Good grief, the ground isn't even frozen, when in other years we might have three feet of frost.

As those scienterrific guys would say, Yo, it looks like a regime shift. You don't need a weatherman to know which way the temperature is rising. We already know Homer summers rocks. Next thing ya know, the tourleys will start showing up on Groundhog Day, and the Salty Dawg will be open all year.

So while you contemplate that apocalypse, think about some of these Best Bets:

BEST YOU TELL 'EM BET: You can tell by the glow on the eastern horizon that the Legislature is burning the midnight oil writin' laws, passin' budgets, speechifyin' and just causin' all sorts of dang mischief. Wait, maybe that's just a big slash pile burning. Want to chat with your representatives in Juneau? Check out the monthly constituents teleconference meeting from 6-7 tonight. Broadcast live on KBBI 890 AM, you don't even have to leave home to check in. Call (800) 395-5073.

BEST SOUPER BET: The B. doesn't know what's the better deal, the soup or the bowl it comes in. Hey, with Soul Soup, you don't have to choose. Buy the bowl, you get the soup. A fund-raiser for Otter Beach Educational Center, Soul Soup runs from 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at Two Sisters Bakery, with all sorts of cool events happening while you're slurpin' soup.

BEST YOU CAN'T GO HOME AGAIN BET: Homer High School's basketball teams play their last home games on Saturday, and for graduating seniors, it'll be their last time playing at the Alice Witte Gym — well, until they return later for the big alum game. The Mariner Girls take on the Kenai Kardinals at 4:30 p.m. and the Mariner Boys play Kenai at 6:15 p.m.

BEST PAY IT FORWARD BET: So maybe someone did you a good deed long ago. How can you pay them back? You can't, of course, but you can pay it forward. Here's one chance: help out one of Homer's top volunteers, Fran Van Sandt, who lost her home in a fire last year. Her friends are holding a fund-raiser at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Homer Elks Lodge, with live and silent auctions and a Mexican fiesta dinner.

BEST WARM UP THE VACUUM TUBES BET: Turn on the ol' Philco, settle back on the couch, and listen to Old Time Radio: World Café at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday in the Mariner Theatre. A variety of local acts perform.

BEST FRIDAY NIGHT ART CRAWL BET: So many canapés, so little time. Once again, it's time to hang with the movers and the shakers in the Homer arts community — and grab some snacks. Opening receptions start Friday at 5 p.m. at Fireweed Gallery, Homer Council on the Arts, Latitude 59, Picture Alaska Art Gallery and Ptarmigan Arts and at 5:30 p.m. at Bunnell Street Gallery.