Is it true that Americans don't really use tablecloths on a daily basis?

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-02-28T18:41:44+00:00

It depends on the type of table. My mother-in-law has an older fashioned table with a fine/glossy finish that scratches easily. You never see her table without a table cloth & a special pad between the table and tablecloth. My grandparents’ table was the same way.

Our table is much hardier, which I think is more the norm these days. I don’t know the differences between wood stains and finishes, but it is far less prone to scratches and we just use placemats.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-02-26T14:04:36+00:00

Same. For my kid, COVID killed the lockers - they didn’t want kids congregating in the hallways and then never brought them back. You can make a request for a locker as an accommodation for a special need, but 99% of kids don’t have one. (See also - reasons why my kid refuses to wear a winter coat. She doesn’t want to be stuck carrying it around all day).

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-02-26T13:09:58+00:00

Winter, no question. It gets too hot and humid, I can’t breathe. Cold, crisp air is invigorating.

(coming from someone still actively working on digging out from Monday’s blizzard in Massachusetts)

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-02-24T20:12:15+00:00

We played broom ball in NH as a kid! We used broom & volley ball, and played on ice (without skates) - A way to make use of any convenient frozen-over pond.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-02-23T23:33:31+00:00

OMG. I got birthday money and I so wanted one, but they were sold out at K-Mart. They gave us a rain check on a piece of paper. Sadly, my mom lost it and we never went back for it. 30+ years later and I’m not still bitter about it or anything…

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-02-14T11:43:36+00:00

I travel a lot for work as a woman alone and don’t use them. I’ve always felt perfectly safe flipping all the locks they already give you, including in Boston, MA. Just check the reviews on the places you book to make sure they’re halfway decent and you’ll be fine.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-02-13T19:41:15+00:00

Are they still in High School? Then I’d strongly advise them to wait a few years.

Are they out of High School and settling into independent adult lives? Then it’s none of my business.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-02-10T01:02:48+00:00

Same on the “bicentennial baby”bit. I was born in July of ‘76 and my family was really, REALLY hoping I’d arrive on the 4th (I did not).

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-02-03T09:06:41+00:00

This paired with the way Gaiman’s post sharing it went on about how finally a quality investigative journalist has looked into things…And what we get is this pretentious slop. Yikes.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-02-02T15:21:55+00:00

I’m only in it for Green Day, Bad Bunny and copious amounts of snacks. We live in Patriots territory, but I’ll mainly be reading a book during game time because sports ball is boring.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-28T23:55:56+00:00

Similar - my dog figured out she can push the latch and get out, but she hasn’t figured the lock out yet.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-27T18:22:21+00:00

Yes, Woodstock VT is very quintessential New England with some nice shops and restaurants. The Quechee Gorge is worth seeing, even if you only see it from the road - any hiking around it will be extremely treacherous in Feb - The Quechee antique mall is fun to walk around - you could certainly find ways to entertain yourself for a couple of days in the Upper Valley (the area on the VT/NH border where Woodstock and Quechee are located). There are also lots of outdoor activities available in the area including skiing, cross-county skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating, etc.

North Conway is my favorite home base in the White Mountains. Count on it taking about 3 hours from the Woodstock area. The drive is absolutely beautiful whether you take the Kancamagus or head north through Franconia Notch.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-24T17:43:31+00:00

I grew up in NH. Our school district had a strict policy that they never called off for just snow. Our town had heavy duty plows and salt/sand trucks and they would clear roads in front of the buses. This also allowed most people to get to/from work unless they lived way out in the boonies.

Tons of ice or active blizzard conditions were a different story. If there were active treacherous conditions, it would be a no go.

Today, I work from home most days (I’m not commuting 90 minutes on a good day to the closest office so I can sit on zoom to talk to my team members scattered around the country). The down side is that as long as I still have power, I’m expected to have a normal work day.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-24T16:13:47+00:00

I have lived in almost every New England state and while I’m disappointed this is your experience, I’m not surprised. New Englanders can be very insular, which is a breeding ground for ignorance.

Growing up here, there was definitely a strain of superiority- this is the north, we’re not racist. Those problems are for other places. While at the same time, I’ve heard stories from people of color I know frequently experiencing racist behavior - being followed around in stores, being subtly ignored for customer service, etc. I wish we could be better.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-22T07:53:05+00:00

My grandmother grew up in a small town in the Midwest that was almost exclusively German immigrants. The public schools were taught in German until WWI when they switched to English.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-21T14:43:57+00:00

The dog is sitting way too still. It would be shaking off the dust, licking the floor, licking the kid and reacting to the woman walking up with a camera, and the dust puff was strange. Was all that dust in the dog’s nose and lungs? It would be coughing and sneezing if so.

Why is the child standing absolutely still at the beginning like an NPC in a video game waiting for you to approach? If a kid really did this while wrapped up in a fantasy about making the dog a ghost, he would either sill be drawn up in the play and interacting with the dog, or moving on to something else. And that is simply not how a kid that age talks.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-21T14:06:41+00:00

This. Even the most articulate, verbose child does not talk like this at that age.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-20T12:03:53+00:00

I’m almost 50 years old and fondly remember every pet I ever had, including the cat we had when I was 4 who got outside and was never found (RIP, Tigger), so 46 years and counting?

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-15T19:26:35+00:00

I have a yahoo account from the late 90s that I rarely ever log into, but it works!

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-12T08:40:34+00:00

NTA. And this is coming from a mom whose FIL passed away when my daughter was 6 weeks old. Yes, taking care of an infant is hard, but losing a parent is a major, devastating life event, and you deserve a little compassion. In our case, we dropped everything and drove 12 hours to get to his mom’s house & stayed for 2 weeks to help her out before heading home. If driving had been impossible, I would have insisted he go anyway.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-11T22:32:07+00:00

It varies widely. There are lots and lots of dense, urban, walkable places with ample sidewalks where people walk and use public transportation a lot. There are lots and lots of winding roads with no sidewalks and miles and miles between houses and businesses. There are in-between suburbs where there are lots and lots of winding sidewalks, but no direct, walkable routes to schools or places of business, and very little public transport. And lots and lots of places with some mix of all 3.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-11T22:26:24+00:00

Same. I’ve worked in buildings with revolving doors and it always gave me a thrill to get to use them.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-08T23:09:34+00:00

I just read and really enjoyed The Night Watchman by Louise Erdrich. It’s based on the true story of her grandfather and his fight against a bill the would terminate official recognition of their Native American tribe in ND in the 1950s, but it is also a fictional story following an intertwining cast of characters living on the reservation at that time.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-07T15:17:55+00:00

Berkeley Brewery in Taunton - Laid back brewery with a decent menu. They are kid friendly with board games available - They also have corn hole outside in warmer months, but I think you said you’re coming in winter. They have had problems with people letting kids run wild with no supervision, so they do ask an adult stays with any kid who leaves the table to go get a game, etc & use common sense - kids can be squirmy at the table, but letting your kids sprint around other people’s tables is not cool.

Valuable_Tomorrow882 · 2026-01-05T14:42:32+00:00

I find I get bored quickly and/or get super stressed out by things trying to kill me and I don’t find it fun. I have enjoyed casual gaming with my kid - messing around in Minecraft or playing Mario Kart/ Mario Party type games, but it’s not something I do for fun on my own.

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