Took the core in and got a nice battery. I'm thinking I put the old one in when we got the car 5 yrs ago - new battery is sweet!
I found an outline for a voltmeter test you can run to determine if alt. is charging and if regulator is operating ok. Ran tet as described with the new battery and all readings are in the right range.
I never would have thought that a bad battery would cause all those strange symptoms. I now know.
Thanks for the help. I haven't posted here since the last problem and you guys jumped right in.
~GOD BLESS~
john