So here we are on day 13 of the Great Pandemic lockdown, counting from when Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a stay-at-home mandate saying we should not leave our home except for essential trips like getting groceries, getting medical help or working in an essential business. Oh, and you can get outdoors and enjoy this marvelous spring that’s blooming (not current in some elevations).

We’re also now supposed to wear masks when out in public, not so much to keep from getting infected by the novel coronavirus, but to keep others from getting infected should we have become host to a mean little spiked entity that looks like a sea mine. The Betster finds this masked suggestion amusing, considering how upon landing in the Last Frontier years ago, yours truly noticed signs at convenience stores asking customers to take off their ski masks upon entering. Huh. It’s still probably not a good idea to enter a store with a pistol in your hand.

We seem to be adapting. People still get out and hike the beaches and ski, although some of you are not really practicing that 6-foot social distancing rule. The stores can be a bit of a scrum, too, especially for those who crowd the check-out lines. Be cool, Betster people. Give others space.

Our society still functions, although some of us are getting a bit scruffy with this ban on barber shops and beauty salons. Some people have seized the opportunity by trying on wild hair colors — oh wait, that’s just Homer fashion.

So be kind, be creative and enjoy life with these Best Bets:

BEST MAKE IT GOOD BET: Good Friday has a bad rap in Alaska what with the 1964 earthquake and the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Maybe that’s why Dunleavy proclaimed this Friday as Alaska Day of Prayer and Hope. He called on all Alaskans to “to pray for and focus our positive wishes on Alaska, the country, and the world.” There will be a livestream video at 2 p.m. on the governor’s Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pg/GovDunleavy.

BEST SHAKESPEAREAN BET: William Shakespeare probably didn’t anticipate a future where people would connect through some magical video device. He did have experience with infectious diseases, though, since 17th Century England wasn’t exactly a health paradise. As part of making art in these weird times, Pier One Theatre and the Kachemak Bay Campus have teamed up to do a Zoom reading of Shakespeare at 2 p.m. Sunday. Visit www. pieronetheatre.org for all the Zoom connect information.

BEST KEEP IT CLEAN BET: As long as you’re wearing gloves and mask and washing your hands when you get home, you might as well take a trash bag with you on those socially distant walks around town. As the snow melts all sorts of weird stuff emerges from the slush. Pick it up and get a jump on the May spring clean-up, which may or may not happen as anorganized group activity. Don’t forget to recycle, too. Be safe, be calm. We’ll get through this.