Birds of the Weather

Hope flooded my heart last week that winter might be over. The temperatures have been erratic - one day 80, the next day 30 degrees.

However, even when temperatures were in the 30s, the sight of birds flying north in Vs brought hope. Could warmth be coming. Forget the groundhog's shadow visibility. These are the instincts of a real animal, giving me hope that winter is over. I could trust birds migrating.

However, that hope washed away when on Monday in 30 degree weather . . . I noticed "V" after "V" of birds flying south. Wrong direction!

So, with flags standing at attention for more than a week, I must find hope in some other horizon than the weather. How about U2's new disc? "No Line on the Horizon" is the all-world band's 12th studio album. It will be for sale at 12:01 am tonight.

As a U2 super fan, I have already listened to the entire album online. The first single "Boots" sounds vastly different from what we've heard from U2, but that is true to form. Reinvention yet faithfulness to what is the core for these Irish lads.