You probably can’t tell from where you’re sitting, but this ditch is overflowing with optimism, rainbows and unicorn smiles.

The ditch of hope.

Nine months — almost to the day — since our first call to Central Maine Power, we’re seemingly no closer to electricity on Dash Landing than we were at the beginning of this whole fiasco.  But being foolish romantics we’ve gone ahead and dug the power trench anyway.

As some of you might have read here, our last hope was that we’d be the lucky recipient of this year’s May Day Parade.  Bright orange trucks as far as the eye could see.  Joyful celebrations.  Comically large power switches and photographers.  A vodka fountain.

But that didn’t happen.

Our fallback was May 9th.  Also known as “Victory Day” in the former republic and a traditional parade day.  No luck.

We’ve also been holding out for the Leader of the Pole People.  Started oug with a bang, but that hot mess only served to confuse the state enterprises.  CMP now won’t run electricity because “We see that this pole is scheduled to be moved, Comrade.”  And Fairpoint won’t move the pole for what seems to boil down to a simple “Nyet.”

No wonder Lenin lost his patience.

This image is apparently from a Russian history book. If I spoke better Russian, I’d give the proper sourcing.