I gave up and ordered a hive

I feel like if I waited any longer I'd miss the opportunity to get started in bees so I got a Dadant hive and am picking up a package with a queen in about a month from a local beekeeper. I really wanted to build a top bar hive and catch a swarm but just got too confused reading blueprints and trying to figure out the splines on the bars. I hope to still build one and give it a try but at least now I have a back up plan to have pollinators on my homestead.

It is really nice having your own honey supply.
As far as pollination goes, never overlook the solitary bee population. Solitary bees do a much better job pollinating and attracting them and is virtually no work on your part; other than maybe a simple bee nesting house.

Gail, you've made a start and that's what's important! Since this is a new endeavor for you, it's not a bad thing to be using the same equipment as other local beekeepers. So if you run into problems or need to ask questions, they won't be thrown off by your unusual set-up. Likely you will want to add hives in the future, and they can always be top-bar hives. By then, you'll have a little experience under your belt and ready for a new challenge.

If you have questions about the bars, I'm not an expert but I have made a few hives, I'm happy to make suggestions.

Sounds like a step in the right direction Gail. There are no guarantees with catching swarms. Now you'll have some local bees to get started with.