We are in Southern California, where the weather has been a bit raw. It snowed a bit in the mountains. Yikes!

But nothing like it has been back in the south of France.

Where we live has been getting inches (inches!) of snow.

This does not happen there. Certainly not to the extent we have been hearing about from residents back in our French town.

And, really, we do not feel too badly about it. Even when seemingly every kid in the village has built a snowman.

The town where we live is not made to handle snow. Maybe a little patch of ice, once a year. Perhaps some sleet for a few minutes. Rain, sure.

But what our town got … was way more than that.

“Cancel school” levels of snow. “Stay inside and wait for things to melt” levels of snow. A friend took a selfie showing him wearing a thick hat with flaps protecting his ears, with snow-dusted and leafless vines in the background. He said the last time he experienced snow like that was … 33 years ago, before he moved to Australia from England.

People began asking questions of town elders, inquiring about the last time it snowed like this. Was Louis XIV still on the throne? Maybe during Napolean’s reign? On this side of World War I, perhaps?

The short answer? “A long, long time ago.”

Meanwhile, we have been frequenting SoCal shops, looking for items we have trouble finding and buying in France.

And mostly staying warm without trying all that hard.

Back in our French town, the overnight low was 24 Fahrenheit, and the local newspaper warned:

“Put on your gloves, hats and scarves. The snow is coming!”

The local paper added: “The cold wave which has been present since Monday … was a bit frisky this morning. It will get worse in days to come.”

By Friday, the cold snap, with snow, is supposed to be over, with highs at about 56 degrees. We are due to return to the Languedoc on Saturday, by which time the bad weather is supposed to have moved on.

(Thanks, Mother Nature, for turning on the heat!)

Meanwhile, France’s national weather said the jump from midweek freezing weather to weekend warmth “is like going from winter to spring in 24 hours.”

Sounds interesting. Hope it’s over before we get there.