We recently decided it was time to get rid of a stack of 1960s storm doors that were sitting in our shed. Lovely vintage charm, yes, but they were not fitting the house style and were not very practical when it came to insulation. I put them up on Facebook Marketplace, not so much to make a buck but to see if they could find a good family.

Jim and I hate throwing anything out. Giving things away feels better than throwing them out, even when it takes a little extra time. I spent about an hour this morning trying to harvest some Hopi Red Amaranth seeds from a plant I got at a Hudson Valley Plant Exchange in the late spring. We have a long history of “saving” things. Our stone paths? Built from rocks Jim unearthed while digging in the backyard and that I insisted we salvage. Our bedroom? Home to a stack of old sheets “waiting to find a new life.” Come to think of it, nearly everything in our house — measuring cups, pots and pans, the outdoor table and chairs, even the beds — comes from some yard sale, auction or Facebook Marketplace adventure.

Sometimes we laugh at ourselves. Maybe we overdo it. Sometimes I hum the theme song to “Sanford and Sons,” and joke that our yard will always be a bit of a junk yard. If it’s now stuck in your head, we apologize. If you don’t know the show, well … you might just need to YouTube it.

Maybe we could walk into a store and buy something new, just once. But then again, there’s joy in giving old things a new life. These storm doors, for instance, were meant to go one by one. But buyers backed out, and deals fell through. Then came Taryn Kneteman, a young artist from Canada pursuing her master’s at Hunter College. She had no car, no easy way to haul them, no local connections. But she had a vision.

She rented a big SUV and drove up here fearlessly. We loaded her up, and not long after, she sent us a video of her work in progress. There stood one storm door in the dark, its glass reflecting a projection of trees swaying against a bright blue sky. The door had become a storyteller. For the first time, instead of seeing through it, we could see beauty from the door’s perspective, without walls or ceilings or furniture to block our field of vision.

Kingston has likely changed a lot over the last 60 years and those storm doors have lived through more of these changes than many Kingston residents. Folks who have lived through those changes carry great stories: Jim remembers when Kingston was a “destination” for families like his from Ellenville who needed to buy new pants or wanted to see exotic animals at Forsyth Park Nature Center. Yet he also recalls when the city felt worn down, and now we both see the new wave of gentrification, with all its mix of opportunities and tensions. Each stone building, sagging roof, and yes, even an old storm door, holds part of that story.

That’s why we couldn’t just scrap the doors. Their glass had framed 60 summers and winters, 60 falls of yellowing leaves, and 60 springs of anticipation. Passing them on to an artist may not preserve them forever, but it allows them to keep speaking — telling their histories in new ways. Perhaps that’s what Kingston itself reminds us: old things aren’t meant to be discarded when they lose their shine. They’re meant to be cared for, repurposed, and brought into the present, carrying the memory of the past. Giving old things new life is, in its own way, a way of honoring time.

One way you can take part in this spirit is by bringing an item that needs new life to the next Repair Café in Kingston on Saturday, Oct. 18 (International Day of Repair), from 11 a.m-3 p.m. at the Clinton Avenue Methodist Church, 122 Clinton Avenue. The Repair Café concept began in 2009 in the Netherlands; Martine Postma had her second child and reflected on how much “stuff” each new person brings into the world and the need for sustainability. Here in Kingston, we’ve seen people find bikes on the side of the road and have them repaired for free. Others rewire lamps, sew old curtains, or fix a coffee maker. Better still, if you have a skill, join as a volunteer and help bring new life to something precious.

Barbara Magnoni and Jim Rich are subscribers, and co-founders of the Hudson Valley Plant Exchange, living in Kingston. Rich is a coach and health teacher at Kingston High School.