Big ears, dainty ears, never mind. Birch trees, alder bushes, pushki shoots, bluejoint grass and cottonwoods, leaves have unfolded. That annual Big Green Chlorophyll bomb has been dropped on Latitude 59 degrees. Heck, in another day or so the vegetation might be so high nary a blue tarp will be seen.

Even wildflowers have begun blooming. On a torturous beach walk from Diamond Creek to Bishop's Beach last weekend, the Betster actually saw a few lupine in full flower. Chocolate lilies the B's favorite flora have started to shoot up. Ah, springtime in Alaska. It moves so fast that if you blink, you'll miss it.

Like last weekend. Or this weekend. Or next weekend. We're in hyperdrive, space cadets, with so much going on that if it weren't for the long daylight hours, we wouldn't get anything done. So why not slow down from all that gardening and fishing and take time for these Best Bets?

BEST CLASSIC GARDEN BET: Poor Toby Tyler's garage burned down last month, which was a real tragedy. No, not the garage the fire torched his best gardening hoe. With a little help from his friends, one of Homer's most beloved artists and gardeners managed to get his garden in. You can tour his place from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Thursday at Toby Tyler's garden. Pack a lunch and have a picnic in the garden. A benefit for Kachemak Heritage Land Trust, tickets are $10 a person or $20 a family. Call 235-5263 for directions and to register.

BEST PLANT SALE BET: Oh no, what's a gardener to do? Starting at 10 a.m. Saturday are two plant sales at either end of Pioneer Avenue. Veterans of plant sales know that the good stuff gets grabbed up within the first few minutes. Well, Betsteroids, you'll just have to pick one. From 10 a.m.-10:30 a.m., the Homer Garden Club holds its annual plant sale at the Kachemak Bay Campus parking lot on East Pioneer Avenue. Meanwhile, the Pratt Museum holds a plant and sidewalk sale starting at 10 a.m. in the botanical garden.

BEST YOU OTTER BE THERE: Looking for a tour across the bay now that the weekend horde has left? Check out the Homer Boys and Girls Club fund-raiser, "An Evening with the Otters," from 7-10 p.m. Saturday at (where else?) Otter Cove Resort. Tickets are $75 and include a cruise across the bay, a gourmet buffet with prime rib and fish, music and door prizes. Call 235-2772.

BEST BAG A PEAK BET: Fifty years ago today, a kiwi and a sherpa bagged the ultimate peak, Mt. Everest, also known as Chomolungma. Numerous climbers since have followed in the steps of Tenzing Norgay and Sir Edmund Hillary. So why not go climb a mountain? Kachemak Bay State Park abounds with peaks (though they might be a bit snowy still). Or, choose a goal physical, spiritual or mental, and take this weekend to begin conquering it.

BEST SMOKE 'EM IF YOU GOT EM: This week's minus-tides aren't the best of the year, but at nearly minus two feet -1.9 at 9:33 a.m. on Saturday the tides fit the Betster's three criteria: on a weekend, in the summer, not before 9 a.m. Grab your shovel, get your fishing license and go chase those razors and steamers.