Last week, I told you how we clipped a few forsythia twigs and set them in water. This week, bright yellow flowers burst from their buds.

Last week, we began daylight saving time. This means it is time to put new batteries in the smoke detectors, a chore I hate, as it means climbing a ladder.

Four weeks ago, folks living in a large European nation called Ukraine were doing similar things. They were going to the store for milk and bread, searching for veggies for a soup, hugging loved ones and grandkids.

Today, millions of them are fleeing a hoard of Russian soldiers who are bumbling and blasting their way into their hometowns.

Why? The Russian soldiers say they thought they were on a training exercise and didn’t know they were going to war. Their boss, V. Putin, told them they would liberate a free nation and be greeted by smiling maidens offering kisses and flowers.

Wrong-o-mundo, Vlad, on all counts.

Most military pundits say Putin wanted to send in troops and overwhelm Kyiv, the Ukraine capital, in a couple of days. Instead, the invaders encountered two obstacles.

They found out that it doesn’t matter whether your favorite soup is corn chowder or borscht, freedom-loving peoples, like Ukrainians and Americans, will fight back.

They also found out that heavy tanks need fuel and ammo to move and fire. Their operators need food. No supplies, no two-day victory. It is military logistics 101.

Much of the world is united in their condemnation of Brother Putin and his minions, but leaders say an intervention, like a no-fly zone, could trigger World War III. No one even wants to think about that.

So instead of imposing a no-fly zone to halt the air bombardment, NATO and the U.S.A. are sending them lots of weapons to help Ukrainian soldiers destroy tanks and planes. In Congress, Democrats and Republicans joined together authorizing billions of new financial aid.

We love to cheer for the underdog and ache as TV images show crying children, terrified mothers, bombed-out apartments, and hospitals. We all want to do something, but what? No one knows how it will end.

Anyone who has been in a war zone, like our local Vietnam veterans Jim Singer, Phil Chapman, or Barry Sherman, will tell you that things can and do go off the tracks. Things always go wrong.

Last week, a Russian cruise missile hammered a Ukrainian military facility a few miles from the Polish border. If that missile had gone haywire, (yes, that happens) it could have crossed the line and exploded in Poland. That would have been an attack on NATO, and we would be off to the races.

Let’s play a game of “What If.”

What if our guys send the mighty USAF into the Ukrainian skies searching for Russian fighters and bombers. In short order, I suppose they could shoot them down. To prevent them from returning to the skies,  I suppose they would have to flatten Russian airbases. Next on the list would be sinking ships to stop them from launching cruise missiles at Ukrainian hospitals. Then they would likely target the Russian artillery sitting some 10 to 20 miles away from cities with names I can’t pronounce or spell. These big guns lob heavy high explosive rounds into apartment complexes, movie theaters and grocery stores.

But bad things in war do happen. The other day in Norway, a USMC Osprey crashed killing four Marines. No one was shooting at them.

Do you think we might lose a few of USAF’s finest planes and pilots when the Russians shoot back?

Then, would V. Putin roll over and retire to his posh dacha? Or would he strike back or, God forbid, push the nuke button, slam a cyber attack on the world financial markets, or send a squad of goons to attack New York City? And, what will the Chinese do?

We are at a point when our leaders must be careful and very smart. We are near the point when we might have to do something. Those who advocate immediately dropping the hammer on the bad guys are offering a simple answer to a highly complex problem.

If the worst happens, will it matter whose fault it was in the first place? Will it matter if we blame the Republicans or Democrats, Presidents Bush, Clinton, Obama, Trump or Biden, or even Mr. QAnon?

Suddenly, our national focus would shift from immigration, mask mandates, climate change, the 2020 election, rising gas prices, and chattering pundits with slick answers.

The next step might see mothers in Boothbay, Edgecomb, Wiscasset and Damariscotta saying good-bye to kids who just graduated from high school.

And, dear friends, no one wants that.