All right, I’ll admit it: It appears summer is finally coming to an end. The sun has shown her smiling, fierce rays only a handful of times since the Betster wrote about rainbows last week, and the drive from home to the creation station is getting colder and colder every morning.

However, there are a few advantages that come with this passing. The town is again alight with youthful activity, as cross country runners bound through the city streets, large buses make their way south full of athletes nervous to play the Mariners, and the Homer Public Library begins to find an increased patronage yet again.

As many of us begin to recede indoors again, let us not forget the buzzing glow which still lights our days even as the sun is muted behind the blanket of gray. Laughter between friends, sharing of summer stories or vulnerability in opening one’s heart are still available to us, and perhaps in greater ways now.

Easing out of the summer it is highly possible that one may feel deflated. We have dug into the soil of the gardens we had sown, and now we are left with empty beds.

While we may not have the pleasure of reaping our rewards anymore, there are two avenues for nourishment which still prove close: the planting of new seeds and the appreciation of that which has been harvested.

Of course, there is always murkiness as the Betster approaches an audience whose activity is vast and varied, but the metaphor can find relevance, hopefully, for anyone.

That fence around your house which you spent four weekends in a row repairing? Now that sits for you as an emblem of completion, something harvested during this summer. Or what about the painting you managed to finish, or the visiting family you steadily entertained? Those are both boons which can continue to be enjoyed.

The seasons change, though, and we must prepare for the next. What sort of seeds can you plant now which will bring abundance next summer? A book you wanted to start? A friend you need to call? A piece of winter machinery or equipment that needs to be wrangled into the garage for a looking-at?

Always we will be passing from one season to the next, so we ought to remember the previous fondly, wonder about the unfolding of the current, and lay frame for the coming of the next.

And as the Labor Day weekend closes out the summer, get out and enjoy the last hurrah with these Best Bets:

BEST CLOSING SOON BET: The hard working folks out on the Homer Spit will be all grins this weekend as their busy summer season winds down. Some of them have been working 10 hour days for seven days straight, and if not for the occassional COVID-19 scare, might not have had any days off. At the end of the day Monday, Labor Day, many shops and restaurants will close. If you want that one last bite of yummy pizza or gelato or just want to check out the sales at cool shops, now’s your last chance. Come Tuesday it will be just the Salty Dawg and maybe a few more hardy shops.

BEST SO LONG AND THANKS FOR ALL THE SQUAWKS BET: The sandhill cranes are bunching up, and any day now they’ll be heading south. Join Kachemak Crane Watch for its last final count day of Saturday, Sept. 3. If you want to see hundreds of cranes circling Beluga Slough, head out there at sunset this weekend. Report the number of adults, colts, or banded cranes seen by location, time, and day, and your name and contact information for the final count day to reports@cranewatch.org or by calling 907-235-6262.

BEST OLD FASHIONED LABOR DAY BET: The Anchor Point Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Anchor Point Chamber of Commerce has a spectacular Labor Day weekend planned starting with Burger Night from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 2 at the VFW. The events continue on Saturday, Sept. 3, with a Car & Bike Show, noon-5 p.m., Potluck barbecue, 1 p.m., Auxiliary Prize Tree, 1 p.m., Horseshow Tournament, 2 p.m. and a Live Band with Kbay Renegades at 5 p.m. Kids games and fun go all day long. The Anchor Point Chamber Coloring Contest bike drawing is throughout the day. Three bikes will be given away. On Sunday, Sept. 4, there will be Matinee Bingo, 1:30 p.m., Pool Tournament, 2 p.m., and Fish & Chips, 5-7 p.m. All activities/events are open to the public; you do not need to be a member to attend.

BEST GET BUILDING BET: The end of summer means another cool event: The 19th annual Homer Burning Basket. This year’s title is “BREATHE – Basket of Remembrance & Unburdening.” A community interactive, impermanent art experience, build week is noon-5 p.m. daily, Monday-Saturday, Sept. 5-10, at the site at Mariner Park. Mavis Muller is the lead artist/organizer. On Sept. 11 the basket sculpture is available for public participation by way of decorating it with provided materials and written messages, by memorializing departed loved ones, and by tucking personal sentiments inside in the theme of releasing and letting go.

BEST DAY BY DAY BET: As anyone who has worked toward recovery from addiction knows, it takes a lot of friends and support and hard work to make it happen. Celebrate recovery in September with Recovery Month events starting with a Recovery Speaker Series, a free community event open to the public on all things recovery from lived experience. It’s at 6-7:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 1, at Kachemak Bay Campus of KPC or on Zoom with meeting ID 836 9728 8721. Learn more at allthingsaddiction.net. Other events include Sober Cycle family event with campfire afterwards, at 5-7 p.m., Sunday, Sept. 4, at the Water Trail Pavilion; Burning Basket Kickoff happening all day long on Monday, Sept. 5, at Mariner Park on the Homer Spit; Lived Experience Workgroup monthly online session, on Wednesday, Sept. 7, from noon-1 p.m.

A beachwalker and their dogs can barely be seen in the fot on Monday, Aug. 29, 2022, at Mariner Park on the Homer Spit. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)