Written by Joel Klaassen Tuesday, 25 September 2012 14:04

Do you know when it’s time to get your eyes checked?

The other day I was walking back to the production area at our office and thought I saw a sheet cake with orange frosting sitting on the table. In reality it was just a piece of orange paper on top of a satchel. Or does it mean that I was very hungry?

Anyway, I have an appointment at the eye doctor down the street to get the old eyes checked this week.

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I have a theory about why people park where they do for the Arts and Crafts fair. I think it’s like the flocks of birds that have been hanging around town the past few weeks.

One day they are all over here, then the next day they are all over there. I think people change where they park based on what happened the previous year. One area neighborhood might not have many cars one year, then the word gets out and everybody goes there the next time, leaving another area less populated with cars, and the cycle begins all over again.

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My wife is a very smart woman. And I’m not saying this to curry favor. She knows a lot.

For example, when I called her the other day to ask if she wanted the ham loaf and scalloped potatoes for lunch or the chili, her response was, “We could split it.”

I wouldn’t have thought of that solution in a million years.

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The Square is a game changer when it comes to the average guy trying to sell stuff. It allows someone to take credit cards for the sale of anything, anywhere in the world.

It’s an app you load on your smart phone or iPad, then plug in the Square credit card reader in the earphone plug and, bingo, you can swipe credit cards. The money goes to your bank account and you even have the ability to send the customer a receipt either via text or e-mail.

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I think it would be fun to offer to take payments for other businesses, hoping they wouldn’t figure out the money goes to our account and not theirs.

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We paused at Saturday’s memorial service to remember Don Klassen, who died Sept. 18. He was a man of many talents and covered a lot of ground during his lifetime. We were connected by our hometown of Mountain Lake, Minn.

When we began the Free Press in 1998, he was managing the Et Cetera Shop in Hillsboro. I used to call on him every week, and he was always glad to see me and always offered a word of encouragement. I know I never left his company without a laugh or two. The world needs a lot more men just like him—but he is a tough act to follow.

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The new technology we have these days gives us way more opportunities to keep up with our favorite sports teams. I was able to watch both the Tabor Bluejays and the KU Jayhawks on computer—the Bluejays through our link on the Free Press website and KU on ESPN3.com. I was getting a sore neck looking back and forth between two computer screens.

The trickier part was the sound. I went for the play-by-play on the Tabor game as there wasn’t a scoreboard overlay with the St. Mary stream of the game.

What really stood out was the totally modern stadium where the Bluejays play compared to the one where the Spires play.

If you wish to share your comments or ideas, my e-mail address is joel@hillsborofreepress.com.