Best Bets

The Betster wonders how many other Homerites were kept awake the other night by the gale force winds that ripped through town at all hours of the night. Peeking out the window around 1 a.m., one might have thought the alders were fixing to uproot and hightail it out of here.

Homer is no stranger to wind and nasty weather, this is true. However, the flooding and destruction being experienced by our friends down in Texas right now should put Tuesday night’s storm (a mere trickle and light breeze by comparison) into sharp perspective.

If those are the worst storms Homer can look forward to, this Betster is pleased and relieved.

Still, as the temperature dips closer and closer to zero each night and the sun runs away just a little faster each day we move closer to the winter season, it helps to start the mental transition into Fall and Winter and the different lifestyle those seasons demand. In that awful limbo between warm weather and enough snow for outdoor winter activities, we must learn to find comfort in the amusements to be found indoors, perhaps in close proximity to a cozy fire and hot chocolate (though that may just be the Betster’s preference).

If you find yourself lacking in the indoor activity department, or want to catch those last few outdoor events, hopefully these Best Bets can help:

BEST BOOKISH BET: Poor weather forcing us indoors has the benefit of steering us toward more indoor activities we might have otherwise eschewed. Internationally-acclaimed author Louise Erdrich is the author of fifteen novels as well as volumes of poetry, children’s books, short stories, and a memoir of early motherhood. She’ll be the visiting writer and will do a reading at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Kachemak Bay Campus, 533 E.Pioneer Ave.

BEST BAD BREATH BET: The next Thriving Thursday, being held today, is Synergy Gardens and the Garlic Project. The group will be visiting with Lori and Wayne Jenkins to tour Synergy Gardens. With their one greenhouse, four high tunnels, three fenced open-air garden plots they produces a variety of vegetables that they sell to the Homer’s Farmers Market and to local restaurants. Their Alaska Garlic Project offers Alaska-acclimatized “Seed” garlic to other Alaskan gardeners. It starts at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7.

BEST HANDS ON BET: Is there anything better than making a gift or home accessory on your own? It’s one of the things we Alaskans pride ourselves on: our craftiness and self sufficiency. Get your hands dirty in a woodworking workshop with Deb Lowney this Sunday. From noon to p.m., 10 lucky participants can learn from the master for $65 at the Bunnell Street Arts Center. Call 235-2662 to register.

BEST ‘WHO KNOWS?’ BET: What better way to wile away the hours as the sun sinks earlier and earlier these days than with a group of fellow Homorites discussing the world’s most vexing theories and phenomena. The second annual “Tinfoil Hats ’n Hot Dogs” meeting will happen at the Down East on Monday, Sept. 11. The group will talk about everything from the pyramids and UFOs to the history of mankind. The event is free to the public and starts at 8 p.m.