Saintes Glaces, Lune Rousse

"Attention aux pommes de terre, la lune rousse n'est pas passée encore"
Marie-Joseph is full of bonhomie this May morning, keeping out of the wind and out of Camille's way, having a crafty smoke and feeding the three token sheep in his makeshift paddock.
He is giving me a lesson on the russet moon, the first one after Easter. The one which threatens frosts, especially in the middle of May at Les Saints de Glace.
"Quand la lune rousse est passée
On ne craint plus la gelée..."
M-J pulls out a dicton de circonstance. He does this at frequent intervals to show his expertise.
Every year it's the same. A week or two of glorious weather in Sainte-Cécile, then the icy, Midnight Cowboy blast from the north-east.
Marie-Jo shuffles to the back corner of the shed, and pulls a hidden bottle of red from between a half-eaten haybale and a multi-recycled sheet of once-upon-a-time galvanized iron.
While he pours a single glass and downs it in one before refilling and offering it, there is just time to register the irony of my friend's name. For someone with a girl's moniker, he is the most un-feminine person I know. Except for the lady down the road who used to keep the goat, but she died back in the late eighties so doesn't count.
"De toute façon, il ne faut pas être pressé pour semer les patates, mon vieux. Camille est peut-être forte en goule, mais c'est moi l'expert du jardin..."
And this seems to be as good a reason as any for him to do as little as possible today. I leave him to his bottle, then jump in the 2CV and cast around for something to take away the taste of vinegar, Gitane sans filtre and sheep shit.
Lexique (Il y en a beaucoup aujourd'hui); Rousse; Roux au féminin. Cf blond/blonde: brun/brune...
Pomme de terre = patate
La gelée; Quand il fait froid la nuit, le lendemain matin il peut y avoir des gelées. C'est dangereux pour les jeunes plantes tendres. Surtout les patates, les tomates ou des fruits en formation.
Forte en goule; On adore! C'est du patois vendéen = une femme qui parle beaucoup. Goule = bouche (ou visage)
Pensez aux lunes; Lune rousse, lune bleu, lune de miel...
Dicton; proverbe populaire.
Saints de Glace; Tradition/superstition folklo-catholique. Le 11, 12 et 13 mai. Regardez sur Wikipédia.