To seasoned Alaskans it should come as no surprise that spring started with a pleasant little flurry of snow. Winter king fishermen probably weren’t shocked either that Saturday started marvelous and sunny and ended with snow. No one complained, at least those with long memories. One year the Homer Harbor froze solid and the Winter King Tournament had to be postponed. If all you get is some gently falling flakes, well, pfft. 

The Betster has no idea how and when this winter will end. If yours truly could predict that accurately, like to the day, hour and minute, I’d smoke the Nenana Ice Classic. Winter (the real thing, not the cosmic moment) ends when it ends.

But there are signs: hooting saw-whet owls, swans on Beluga Lakes, humpback whales in the bay, crocuses in the flower bed by Homer Electric Association and reports of sandhill cranes. Even while the world grows dark with terror in Belgium and Turkey, the light expands here. You cannot overpower light or the growing warmth that pulls us from our despair and gives us hope. 

You would think evil people would know that. When your soul has lost its light, you think that no one else shines. The light shines in all of us if only we open our eyes. 

Huh. You could make a religion of that, so Happy Purim and Happy Easter. Spring is coming, the real thing. Enjoy it, perhaps with these Best Bets:

BEST BREAK BREAD BET: Just because spring is coming and living is easier for those who might find housing challenges doesn’t mean we can forget our neighbors. At 5:15 p.m. today the Homelessness Task Force meets at the REC Room on Neilson Circle of Ben Walters Lane. Share ideas on how to find safe, warm shelter for all. From 5:30-7 p.m. today also is the Community Meal at Homer United Methodist Church, where all can join in fellowship over a good (and free) meal.

BEST BIG BOATS BET: Get a quick refresher course in what’s happening in the marine trades with Sloth Boats’ Open House from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday at its boat house on Kachemak Drive. Check out the new shop and hardware store, learn about marine trades classes at Kachemak Bay Campus and meet the U.S. Coast Guard Marine Safety Office crew.

BEST SAVE THE EGGS BET: For a different kind of egg hunt, check out the Shire of Ice Bay’s Live Action Role Playing event from 3:30-7 p.m. Saturday at the Karen Hornaday Park Campground. Rabbits have hidden eggs, including some from a dragon, and questers need to fight the rabbits and rescue dragon eggs. Newcomers are welcome; show up early at 3 p.m. for orientation and costume loans..

BEST BIG BOOTS BET: We know kids just go-go-go, but Katmai Higman has put some miles on his boots — like circumnavigating Cook Inlet. He inspired his mom, Erin McKittrick, to write a book about how a little boy overcame adversity by tapping into his imagination, “Coyote Nose and Ptarmigan Toes.” McKittrick and her sister-in-law, Valisa Higman, the book’s illustrator, visit Homer on Saturday with a talk at the Homer Public Library at 1 p.m. and then a booksigning from 4-6 p.m. at the Homer Bookstore.