By KIM COOK

Maybe it’s a scratched-up old sideboard found at a yard sale and turned into a snazzy media console. Or a couple of well-traveled vintage trunks given a new home as bedside tables.

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Designers and DIYers are breathing new life into old furniture, not just restoring but reimagining and giving hardworking pieces fresh purpose.

Sustainability, cost, aesthetics and sentimentality are all driving the trend.

The craftsmanship seen in many old pieces — solid woods, dovetail joints, paintwork perhaps — means you’re giving a second life to something already good. And there’s the satisfaction of having a decorative and/or functional piece that nobody else does.

“I think the patina and age of these pieces would be hard to replicate with newer pieces, and they make each of these feel special,” says designer Debbie Mathews Leroy in Nashville, Tennessee, who put a stone sink top on a rustic French table for a client’s powder room. She placed a marble top on a French bamboo cabinet in her own home’s guest bathroom.

Jessie Tristan Read, an artist and up-cycler in Wynnewood, Pennsylvania, combines contrasting styles.

“I like to see an antique or vintage chest of drawers used in a chic kitchen,” says. “You immediately add warmth and charm while gaining great storage for utensils, linens, even pots and pans.”

How to buy vintage

Noel Fahden is a vice president at Chairish, an online marketplace for vintage art and home furnishings that has featured items like frames from the wooden wheels of old carts transformed into benches, architectural columns turned into candle holders, and lamp bases made from brass fire extinguishers and old railroad lights.

Fahden has some tips for buying vintage:

“Don’t skip the measuring tape — measure twice, then measure again. That dreamy vintage armoire loses all its charm if it won’t fit through your front door,” he says.

Ask questions and do research. Learning about a piece’s backstory might help you decide how — or how much — you want to transform it.

“And don’t overlook the finish,” Fahden cautions. “Sun fading, water rings or smoke damage can be costly -– or impossible -– to fix, even if the piece looks charming in photos.”

Courtney Batten of Paige Studio in Dallas says, “I generally steer clear of pieces made with MDF (medium-density fiberboard) or laminate or pieces that have clearly been in a smoker’s home.”

Make big changes, or hardly any

Chicago-based interior designer Elise Metzger found this dresser years ago at a roadside shop near her college in NH. It’s had other colors, mosaics on top, and different handles over the years, but now wears a cheerful pink (Benjamin Moore’s Raspberry Glace) and sits in her daughter’s room. (Elise Metzger via AP)

You can go big on the upcycling, removing interior shelves on a cabinet, say, or changing legs on a table, but you can also do just a tiny tweak.

“Swap out hardware” like knobs, says Read. “This easy trick creates a fresh look while keeping the piece intact. Or add a top. A butcher block or piece of marble atop that dresser-made-kitchen-island creates functionality.”

There was one common conversion many designers mentioned, but Batten’s cautious.

“Contrary to popular belief, repurposing a dresser into a bathroom vanity, while beautiful, isn’t actually very budget-friendly,” she says. “The plumbing modifications required often drive the cost up more than buying a new prefab vanity. So if you have your heart set on a vintage vanity, keep in mind that it’s for style, not savings.”

More repurposing ideas

A French bamboo cabinet repurposed for a bathroom vanity, appears in the home of interior design and antiques dealer Debbie Matthews Leroy, in Linville, N.C. (Dustin Peck via AP)

Old general store, post office or watchmaker cabinets with lots of cubbies and drawers make great storage for stationery, toys, and craft and pet supplies. And if you come upon pieces with interesting advertising or stamping on them –- wooden soda pop crates, cheese boxes and sugar molds are often at vintage sales — you’ve got some art as a bonus.

You might turn old hat boxes into an artful wall of storage circles for accessories.

“Dressers can be turned into custom bar carts,” suggests Lisbeth Parada at Minwax in Westlake, Ohio, and hutches can be repurposed as drinks centers.

Parada has turned CD towers into jewelry organizers, and magazine racks into blanket holders.

“Old TV cabinets can now be found for free almost everywhere,” says Stacy Verdick Case, a furniture restorer and owner of Peony Lane Designs in Lindstrom, Minnesota. “They can be turned into coffee stations, craft closets or even mudroom storage. Old doors with detailed panels are perfect for headboards.”

If your piece seems too low for the purpose, Case suggests adding some chunky wooden feet to elevate it.

Short on closets? Consider turning an antique glass-door cabinet –- the kind where grandparents might put the good china on display — into a linens cupboard. Fold bedding and comforters to show off the nicest patterns.

Rugs and textiles

“If a rug is damaged, we’ll often salvage a portion and have it framed, turning it into affordable, one-of-a-kind art while preserving a piece of history,” Batten says.

Finally, artist Colleen Kelly has come up with a clever way to repurpose vintage textiles. Fully framed quilts and fabric yardage have been around for a while; they make interesting wall art. But this Palm Springs-based artist, who sells her work as HippieWild on Etsy.com, puts swatches of antique kantha quilts and 1960s textiles in various-size embroidery hoops. The slim profile wood circles showcase the piecework and patterns.

“It’s like painting,” says Kelly. “Each piece is unique.”

By ALBERT STUMM, Associated Press

As they age, it’s not uncommon for many people to let out a muted groan when getting out of bed in the morning.

But if you “oof” every time you get in a car or “aargh” while bending over to pick up something, it may be time to prioritize exercises that target your mobility.

Dr. Miho Tanaka, a sports medicine surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said good mobility is increasingly recognized as an important part of overall health. She pointed to research showing that high mobility has long-term effects in reducing rates of cancer, cardiovascular disease, dementia and depression.

“It’s not just about how you look and how your level of fitness is at any given point,” Tanaka said. “For anyone who wants to stay active later in life, there has to be a deliberate process of maintaining that level of activity by doing mobility exercises.”

Mobility equals strength plus flexibility

Mobility and flexibility are often confused, said Jessica Valant, a physical therapist and Pilates instructor near Denver.

Flexibility is simply the extent to which a muscle can lengthen, whereas mobility involves using muscle strength to interact with a network of joints, tendons, ligaments and synovial fluid, which is the lubricant inside the joint.

This undated image shows physical therapist and Pilates instructor Jessica Valant demonstrating a stretch movement in Colorado. (Jessica Valant via AP)

That network around the shoulders, spine, hips, pelvis and knees needs to work well together. Otherwise, it becomes difficult to reach things in high cabinets, squat down to tie your shoes or lift your grandchildren, let alone participate in outdoor activities or sports.

Mobility exercises strengthen your muscles while increasing your range of motion, which allows you to be more functional with age, Valant said.

“Motion is lotion, which is a saying we use in physical therapy all the time,” she said.

Two early warning signs

Starting from about 30 years old, muscles and tendons start to lose collagen, Tanaka said. That’s the same substance that in hair and skin relates to going gray and getting wrinkles.

Without regular exercise, weaker muscles put extra pressure on joints, she said. Even active people lose muscle in areas that are overlooked at the gym, such as the rotator cuff around the shoulder and postural muscles that support the spine and neck.

This undated image shows physical therapist and Pilates instructor Jessica Valant demonstrating a stretch movement in Colorado. (Jessica Valant via AP)

Tanaka said two early warning signs likely point to the need for mobility training.

The first is aching joints and muscle stiffness without first exerting a lot of effort. Back soreness after a long day of sitting at a desk could signal limited hip or pelvic mobility, she said. Achy knees after being on your feet all day may be a sign of weak quadriceps.

The second sign is more acute pain, such as when you don’t get injured but you still experience swollen or painful joints for several days after participating in a sport like basketball or skiing for the first time a while.

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She cautioned against following a recent social media challenge to test mobility by standing up from a seated position on the floor without using your hands.

“I’ve seen some injuries from that, so I definitely don’t recommend that,” she said.

Instead, try sitting in a chair and standing up without putting your hands on the chair arms. Next, try to stand on one foot. If you can do both, that’s a good sign.

Tai Chi and yoga are also both great for mobility training, she said.

Other recommended exercises

Dr. Corey Simon, associate professor of orthopedic surgery at Duke University School of Medicine, urged people to prioritize mobility before they experience pain in their joints or difficulty moving around.

“You don’t have to have a gym to do this,” Simon said.

He suggested working body-weight exercises into your day. That could include setting an hourly timer to get up and walk around the house. When you return to your desk, add chair sits to work the quads, hamstrings, calves and glutes. Assuming your balance is OK, doing pushups against a wall or a countertop helps to mobilize the shoulders.

This undated image shows physical therapist and Pilates instructor Jessica Valant demonstrating a stretch movement in Colorado. (Jessica Valant via AP)

Once those exercises become easy, add exercise bands to build strength.

Valant said that people who are sedentary should simply start walking every day.

“It’s the lowest barrier to entry,” she said.

Beyond that, she suggests adding 10 minutes of mobility training to whatever exercise you’re doing. She offers short mobility routines on her YouTube channel targeting the hips, spine and full body.

Some basic hip movements include lying on your side and lifting your top leg, lying on your back and squeezing your knees to your chest and sitting up with your feet together, lowering your knees toward the floor.

For the spine, try the cat-cow stretch, arching and curving your back with hands and knees on the floor. Or sit in a chair with feet on the floor, twisting your shoulders to both sides.

“This isn’t something that changes in five days, but I tell people, give it four weeks,” she said. “You will see results over time.”

Albert Stumm writes about wellness, food and travel. Find his work at https://www.albertstumm.com

Amy Lindgren

Second Sunday Series – This is the fifth of 12 columns on career planning post-60, which will appear the second Sunday of each month from September through August.

It may be mostly symbolic, but the new year is an excellent time for new initiatives, such as career planning for your post-60 years.

Whether you’re already a working senior — or is that golden ager? Third-ager? Elder worker? Mature worker? Just plain senior citizen? — anyway, whether you’re in the 60+ group now, or simply looking ahead, planning is the name of the game for this stage of life.

One of the best planning tools for this purpose is the humble timeline. You have a lot of life ahead of you, and a timeline can help you organize it. How much time? According to actuarial tables, today’s 65-year-old has even odds of living to 85 — and perhaps half of those 85-year-olds will live into their 90s.

And if you’re only 50 now? You could literally have more working years ahead than behind you. Now is the time to groan if this is not an appealing prospect. Keep in mind, these numbers are generalized and may not apply to you. But what if they do?

(If you want a better handle on your personal life expectancy, several online calculators, including LivingTo100.com, can provide an estimated age at death based on your answers to lifestyle and health questions.)

For the moment, a helpful mindset might be one of opportunity. As in, anticipated longevity offers the opportunity to plan for a satisfying and adequately financed life. Whereas being surprised by longevity when it’s actually unfolding could be something of a disaster.

If you’re ready to grasp this opportunity, get yourself something to write on, and with. I favor pencil and blank (unlined) paper, but even the back of an envelope will do. Here are the steps for roughing out your lifeline.

• 1. Draw a straight-ish line across the paper, leaving room above and below for populating the timeline. Anchor both ends by writing your current age just below the line on the far left and your estimated age of demise below the line on the far right.

We’ll use Kerry as an example, a 65-year-old worker who expects to live until 90. That’s 25 years, which is a solid chunk of time.

• 2. Now mark the age at which you believe you will stop working entirely. For our example, we’ll say 85. That leaves 20 years for Kerry’s career, as well as five years post-work.

In your case, if you know your plans for after you completely retire, make a note above the timeline in that area.

• 3. Going back to the front of the timeline, is there an age at which you would plan / hope to switch from full-time to part-time work, if you haven’t already?

For our example, 65-year-old Kerry plans to work full-time until age 70 and then collect maximum Social Security while switching to part-time work. This means Kerry has five more years of full-time work, followed by 15 years part-time before stopping altogether.

Sticking with Kerry’s planning, there are questions that need to be pondered, then firmed up before the timeline can become a career blueprint. For example,

• Is Kerry’s current work satisfying and sustainable, or should a switch be considered now, ahead of the five-year window for full-time employment? If so, would training be advisable, to smooth the path to the new work?

• Would Kerry’s current work (or the potential new career) fit well for part-time employment later? Would it accommodate a flexible schedule if Kerry’s health or family duties were to require that?

• What are Kerry’s ideas for the post-work period, or for “extra” hours while working part-time? If they involve a special interest, or a new location, what steps should be taken early on? How might career choices support those plans?

As you can imagine, this is only a starter list of questions that Kerry might consider. And of course, your own information will differ. In your own timeline, you’ll want to make room — perhaps a second timeline, or a different color — for family events, major trips, anticipated surgeries, potential changes in your finances or housing, or other items that could impact your thinking. If you have a partner, that person’s working plans may also land on your timeline.

It’s a lot to corral in one place but luckily things don’t have to be precise at this stage. If you can capture the main ideas in terms of how long you plan to work and in what way (full- or part-time, etc.), then you’ll have the core of what’s needed to build your career plan.

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Amy Lindgren owns a career consulting firm in St. Paul. She can be reached at alindgren@prototypecareerservice.com.

The weight of political fealty now burdens every public action, or, in this case, tragedy, in the United States. The center absolutely does not hold and might never again. Casualties include truth, reason, facts and common sense, the trusted accompaniment to reason.

We are struggling and spinning in wildly different and unwanted directions.

According to the Trump administration, Renee Nicole Good, 37, shot to death during a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Minneapolis, was a domestic terrorist who weaponized her vehicle with the intention to mow down an ICE agent.

According to Mayor Jacob Frey and Gov. Tim Walz, Good was the victim of Gestapo enforcement tactics used to cleanse the country of cleaners, chefs, parking lot attendants and gardeners.

Where that leaves Good is very dead, shot multiple times, either legitimately or not, depending not on facts, but on fealty.

Whether by design or happenstance, Good found herself in the middle of an ICE swoop. She was asked to get out of her car. She refused. She was told to leave. She then turned her wheels to the right, the path of leaving. She was leaving. An ICE agent, standing off her front left headlight, appeared to get out of her way and then leaned forward into the car to take his shots. The ICE agent then walked away — he did not appear at all injured — and was taken from the scene, reportedly to a hospital.

Good was dead.

The cellphone videos were plentiful. There was no suspicion of AI or trickery of any kind. The shooting could be seen from multiple angles. It wasn’t a matter of suspecting the motives of a so-called citizen journalist. It was video. It was real.

Frey and Walz minced no words expressing their disgust. Cooler heads, when the center held, might not have encouraged their constituents to hold ICE in contempt. In fact, and precisely because of their particular allegiance, they vowed to not allow local law enforcement to help ICE, save with traffic behavior. Upon Good’s death, Frey — virally, it turns out — told ICE to get the f— out of our town.

The Trump administration sent U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to town. She said, “it is very clear this individual was harassing and impeding law enforcement operations.”

Noem was asking me to disbelieve my own eyes.

Moments later at the same press conference, Noem said, “we’re following the standard protocol procedures we do in situations like this. When there is an officer-involved shooting, we make sure that we get all the facts and that we’re getting the statements of everyone involved and make sure investigators are handling the decisions.”

But wait a minute. You said previously that Good was harassing and impeding law enforcement. Maybe those were the facts Noem was confident she would learn based on her fealty to the Trump administration.

If the country had sustained a center and not fallen into warring camps, here is what would have happened in the last year.

ICE would not be a theatrical gumshoe operation. Select ICE teams would target serious criminals here illegally — we’re not going to get rid of every house cleaner and gardener — and quietly get dispatched to whatever city to make their arrests.

Frey and Walz, acting in concert, would have made local law enforcement available to ICE.

Noem would not be putting carts in front of horses.

Residents would not be in the streets protesting because they wouldn’t know anything was going on.

Renee Nicole Good would be alive.

But we don’t have a center, a moral and ethical high ground. We are adrift, with a foul, indescribably difficult president at the helm and, locally, a government that we would be foolish to trust.

Joe Soucheray can be reached at jsoucheray@pioneerpress.com. Soucheray’s “Garage Logic” podcast can be heard at garagelogic.com.

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