Frozen ruts and market day

These tire tracks, made in the mud after our big snow and subsequent thaw, got re-frozen shortly afterward when the overnight temperatures started going down below zero again. It hasn't frozen again for over a week, so the tracks are getting smoothed out again.

Frozen puddles and tire tracks in the vineyard road.

We had a good market day yesterday and, except for not finding snails, we got a few sausages (spicy lamb merguez and pork Toulouses) and a good cut of beef for making a fondue bourguignonne on Monday. That will be for Ken's birthday dinner.

We also stopped at a garden center from some soil. I will be starting lettuce seeds inside today so that we can put them out in the garden in a few weeks, either under a cold frame or some other protective contraption in case it freezes again. I'll also plant some radishes at that point.

Finally, we stopped at a hardware store to check out sharpening machines. I have several blades that need sharpening and paying someone to do them every year can really add up. I checked out tourets à meuler (power sharpening wheels) on the internet and saw some interesting deals. Our local hardware store just happened to have one on sale (almost half price) and we couldn't resist.

Now I'm going to have to install it in the garage and try my hand at sharpening my own blades. First up is the axe (for splitting logs), then the chipper blade followed by the lawnmower blade. We also have a few old knives and a Chinese meat cleaver that we might try to sharpen up. If I can manage it with good results, the machine will pay for itself in two or three seasons. I'll probably put up a picture once I get it out of the box.