Diesel engines do last longer... some people have several hundreds thousand miles on them without a problem. They do cost a little more in upkeep... Biodiesel is a good idea, but you can't use it full strength and its very expensive. I'm looking for a diesel truck right now too. I don't like the newer Fords as much--they're not as powerful as the older ones for one thing. I don't know much about the 01 year but I think they were still 7.3 then?? Thats better than the newer 6.0... I'd buy a diesel truck before buying a gas!! even it was older and had many more miles on it.

I'm in agreement with Donna in that you should remove the dead baby. It could draw ants, etc., to the nestbox. Increasing your offering of mealworms is also an excellent idea, since Dad is having to feed by himself. The mealworms will allow him to spend less time hunting for food and more time feeding and protecting those babies. His hesitance at the mealworm feeder may offer a clue as to what happened to Mama, though. Is your feeder close to the nestbox? It's possible that Mama was attacked while at the feeder. Try to make sure that there is some cover for the birds so that they will have a better chance of survival in the event of an aerial attack by hawks, etc. Raptors are very smart and can become accostomed to the timing of your feedings, too, then use this to time their attacks. Donna's questions regarding the set-up of your nestbox are also pivotal. Your blues are vulnerable to attacks from all kinds of climbing predators (snakes, raccoons, etc.) if the box is not mounted on a slick metal pole equipped with a predator baffle. I use the stovepipe baffle on all 35+ nestboxes that I monitor and it works beautifully. Keep us posted on Dad's progress. Kathy

The problem can be a failed power supply. Is the power supply fan turning? It should be located near the power cord in the back of the computer. I'm not sure if I would purchase a power supply until you know the current one has failed. A power supply is heavy enough to require a hefty shipping cost that is usually not refundable. Perhaps you can purchase a power supply from a local store with a return policy if it doesn't solve the problem. If you know anyone familiar with electricity, they may be able to test the voltage of a drive connector from the power supply. A multimeter should show the yellow wire in the 12 Volt DC range and the red wire should be 5 Volts DC. If the connections between the power supply and the motherboard are not loose, the problem is most likely a bad power supply. It can also be a bad motherboard or a combination of bad parts. Best of luck with your repairs.

I do think the problem is that, at least in my mother's case, she does not think she has a problem. I think most people who can't hear well honestly don't believe there is a problem. And after she saw the audiologist, was convinced she was diagnosing her incorrectly in that she while she thinks she might have a slight problem, it is only in one ear. We went through the same thing with her with cataracts. She thought she could see fine. Then when she finally did decide to have it done, one eye was botched because it hemorrhaged when it was taken out. She then spent two months without a lens - and that eye is still not working correctly. But not believing she had a problem, there was little we could do. I think the saddest thing for my mother is when she is with other people. I took her and my aunt and uncle to visit a cousin this weekend. Because of all of the stimulus, she was virtually left out of conversation - then would blurt something out that had nothing to do with what was being discussed -- but she couldn't hear the discussion. What convinced my mother to finally go and be evaluated was the ability to return if she didn't like them. I am glad she is at least giving a try - don't know what the ultimate outcome will be.