Growing up in the sticks, I'm pretty sure there was an unlicensed trade school for squirrels in the area. Pretty much once a year, we'd need a replaced transformer from one of these unlicensed squirrel electricians. I never charted the timing of the year this would happen, but now I wonder if aligned with the start of a new class.

Here in the UK I think some of those unlicensed squirrel electricians are beginning to retain in fibre broadband installations. My neighbour was ‘disconnected’ last week.

The next time a friendly representative from the international brotherhood squirrel electrical (IBSE) union stops by to discuss joining their service protection plan, they should reconsider. "This a real nice connection you have here. It'd be shame if something were to happen to it"

Edit: or would that be the Free Mesons

Depending on where you live, they age out too. The one behind my house exploded a year or two ago.

It was manufactured in 1959!

[delayed]

The transformer likely served the houses further down the block - yours was served by one upstream.

It isn’t terribly hard to track it back if the wires are above ground.