Let us suppose you lived in a far northern climate. Let’s say that you expect cold temperatures and have acquired a wardrobe for it — you know, fluffy down jackets, sweaters, hats, gloves and winter boots. Let’s say that for some gosh-darn weird reason, one winter this gear becomes mostly useless, and it sits in the back of your closest month after month as you wear your spring gear, that is, XtraTuf boots and a pile jacket.
Then one day, shazam, the temperatures drop into the 20s and, OMG!, even into the teens and that gear actually might become useful — except that it’s gotten buried in the closet behind boxes of aluminum cans you’ve been meaning to recycle and last year’s tax receipts.
Well, now you know how Homer’s winter sports nuts feel. It had been looking to be quite the dry spell. Cross country skiers shoveled snow on the Sunset Loop. The marathon race had to be canceled. Snowmachiners could be seen sitting on their shiny, newly waxed sleds staring off into the hills and weeping. The only winter sports nuts who didn’t seem to care were the Fat Bikers, but they’re tough. They can ride on anything.
Just when you thought winter had ended, a storm rolled in. Big, fat wet flakes kept falling and falling. Snowplow guys had to kick it into high gear to keep up with the calls to clear driveways. All around town, skiers got back into action. The Homer Rope Tow opened last weekend for the third time. And for the snowmachiners, one or two might actually have gotten to ride that machine they got for Christmas.
Yeah, that is so March. It’s not that the month roars in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. That can describe any week. Heck, any day. Right now from our perch here on the south shore of Beluga Lake, the day looks mighty fine and sunny. So did last week. You saw how that turned out, right? Seven-foot seas and surf on the Spit.
But the roll of the seasons is with us. The vernal equinox has already passed at 7:57 a.m. today and we’ll get 12 hours and 14 minutes of daylight. Yup, we’re over the hump. We might get some more snow. It will probably stay around freezing for another month. A good pack of snow, sunshine and plus-12 hours of daylight? Yeah, we’re talking awesome — just like these Best Bets:
BEST GET SMART BET: Trying to figure out how to write a Board of Fish or Board of Game proposal that could get the regs changed? Learn some tips in a Fish and Game Proposal Writing Workshop from the Homer Fish and Game Advisory Council from 5-7 p.m. today in the Homer Public Library Conference Room. The informal, drop-in workshop is for people interested in submitting proposals for the upcoming board cycle addressing the Kenai Peninsula or learning more about the process.
BEST IT HAPPENS BET: That’s melodrama, you know, where everything is a bit over the top and overdone. The Homer Council on the Arts Youth/Teen Musical Theatre has been learning musical theater skills all winter, and now the students are ready to show you what they’ve learned. Catch performances of “One Too Many Bullies or Random Acts of Heroism” at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 3 p.m. Sunday at HCOA.
BEST LOST LOVE BET: Where is the missing love lichen? Will the caribou herd find it? Be part of the migration as the herd tromps around Old Town starting at 4 p.m. Saturday at Bunnell Street Arts Center for visiting artist Allison Warden’s Love Lichen Treasure Hunt and Dance Party. During the hunt, you might need to refuel, so bring some dinner money. The evening ends with a dance party; admission is $5 for the dance.
BEST AS SLICK AS IT GETS BET: Like the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, oil companies couldn’t stop the 2010 BP Deep Water Horizon Gulf of Mexico spill before it gushed 4.9 million barrels of oil. Unlike in 1989, though, the oil companies used a different clean-up method: dispersants.
In “Pretty Slick,” filmmaker James Fox investigates dispersant use. At 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, oil spill activist Riki Ott introduces a showing of the film at the Pratt Museum. A discussion with Ott and Bob Shavelson of Cook Inletkeeper follows.
