I suspect I am showing my age but as a kid, I remember winters like this. I grew up on Prince Arthur Ave. in Chatham and street hockey, on the snowy streets most of the winter, was just the norm. When our children were growing up and we lived on the Thames River, I remember clearing a rink behind the house, skating and snowmobiling along the River, either into town, out to the Lighthouse for a nice wintery ride or if we were lucky for a Perch Dinner at the Lighthouse Inn. That place was a favorite of our family and many others in the day. We miss it.
Unfortunately, some of the younger generation have no recollection of those days and many think our cold temperatures are extreme. Maybe we are just getting back to the normal winters, be it Global Warming or whatever the term is. It certainly does not seem like Global warming to me!

As I mentioned, we lived for many years on the Thames River which runs through Chatham and it was always so nice to see the Snowmobiles and the Ice Fishermen out in numbers enjoying themselves when the temperatures dipped like now. Many of the Snowmobile Dealers have had skinny winter seasons in the last several years as far as sales and those who have invested in machines have had them gathering dust in their garages unless they were lucky enough to have the time to go North. I have not heard what the experts are saying about the safety of the ice on the river. Be sure to check before you venture out.
My wife and I also took a ride to Erieau last Saturday. I have a fondness for the quaint little village since I spent summers there as a child at my parents cottage on the Bay side. The boats are up on dry dock, and the bay is frozen as is the Lake close to shore, even the channel going from the Bay to the Lake.  Many fishermen and skater were out on the Bay and on homemade rinks.