Reading some of the comments lately about Homer on social media, the Betster wonders if maybe some of our fellow Alaskans have ever met any of us. Yeah, we have a reputation as a hotbed of social justice special snowflake warriors who haven’t worked since the Reagan administration. We’re a bunch of slacker stoner atheists quick to protest anything, some say.

Yeah, if that’s true, how come the annual Homer National Rifle Association banquet sells out and makes beaucoup bucks? How come we have more churches than espresso stands (barely) and bars? How come we haven’t elected a Democrat to the Alaska Legislature since Yule Kilcher?

As some people describe their relationships, “It’s complicated.”

Anyone who thinks they can pigeon-hole a Homerite into a neat little category hasn’t talked to us. Homer can be like one of those Rorschach tests where you look at ink blots and tell the nice psychiatrist what you see. Sometimes it’s a dragon spreading its wings to bring peace to the world and sometimes it’s just a dang butterfly. We’re complex, confusing and contradictory. We like to talk, like to argue and sometimes get a little angry — and then we back off.

Here’s the thing about this lovable, beautiful and amazing town. We care about each other. We work together to make this town a better place. We volunteer at nonprofits. We shovel our neighbor’s sidewalk when she’s laid up with a broken hip. We take casseroles to people awash in grief and pain. We raise money to pay for cancer treatments and people made homeless by fires. We fight fires. We get up at oh-dark hundred and rush to the ambulance to save someone’s life.

In short, we might be confusing to some, but we know our hearts. That’s all the more reason to celebrate, perhaps with these Best Bets:

BEST FEED YOUR GUT BET: Fermented foods are all the rage now, with all sorts of health benefits — but grandma knew that. Learn about how to make fermented foods with a talk from 6-8 p.m. today at the SVT Health Center.

BEST BIG DUDE BET: Homer’s Big Read ends this weekend with a visit from Thornton Wilder critic and Washington Post book reviewer Michael Dirda. He offers three events: from 10-11 a.m. Friday, a meet-and-greet at Bunnell Street Arts Center and then from 6-8 p.m. a talk on the Craft of Reading at the Kachemak Bay Campus; pre-register at 235-3180. Then at 6 p.m. Saturday at the Homer Public Library he does a keynote address on Wilder.

BEST BRING SNACKS BET: Monday’s Homer City Council meet could get interesting what with the inclusivity resolution. Read about it on page 1, and if you have something you want to say, keep it short and speak up starting about 6 p.m. Monday. Keep it civil and polite because we’re all neighbors, eh?

BEST LES BON TEMPS BET: That’s “the good times” in French, which is what you’ll be celebrating onTuesday, Mardi Gras, with the Fat Tuesday celebration at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Beluga Lake Lodge. Blues Trolley provides tunes.

BEST MAKE IT ZEN BET: That’s how the Betster likes bagels — Zen style, or one with everything. The Buddha can be anywhere, so get enlightened when Big Fat Buddha plays at 9 p.m. Saturday at Alice’s Champgane Palace, part of the Salmonfest music series.