Okay; stumped!!!!
Well, you've all been very helpful. Thanks.
During the day my mind kept returning to the humidity effect and my inability to trigger the dimmer switch on the floor or even pull out the headlight toggle. I was able to turn the switch and flick on the interior lights.
WhenI got home from work I played with the park lever several times, in case the the cable wasn't triggering the AT solenoid.
After several tries, the park state triggered and I was able to bypass the solenoid block-out. The engine turned over. She wheezed out again and I had to retriever the park lever a couple of times to engage park and restart.
I think I have a lot of cleaning and oiling to do. The accelerator pedal is sticking and the linkage doesn't spring back into place. A job for WD40!
I'm hoping this discovery will help someone else if they experience a similar issue!
Now I have to find some AT push-button panel parts to free the jammed neutral button and clean a lot of contacts...