Here’s an update on the farm:  A couple of weeks ago I bought a used drill from a pawn shop, trying to save a few dollars on the construction costs of the prototype.  For my birthday, my father got me the hole cutting blade I needed for the pipes that will hold the plants, so Saturday I started cutting the holes in the 4″ pipe.  The first one cut out fairly easily, but as soon as I started on the second, the drill bit that guides the circular saw snapped in two.  The blade was graded to cut metal, so I was shocked that a plastic pipe broke it.  I ran back to the store and exchanged the blade, hoping that the bit had simply had a bad spot in it.

When I back from the store, I got six holes cut before something in the drill broke, so now, I will have to go back to the store to buy a new drill before I can get anything done.  The lesson in all this?  Don’t try to cut corners to save a couple of bucks.  Just spend a little extra and get something new with a warranty.  If it breaks, like the drill bit, you can exchange it for one that’s not flawed.  Otherwise, you end up with a $10 paperweight.

Overall, though, I’m still on schedule with the prototype.  I feel like it’ll be completed by early January, and then, we can run a couple of test crops to see how well the plants grow and to decide which ones we want to focus on come summer.  I’m excited and feel pretty good about how well things are coming together.