Update-
Picked the car up yesterday and drove it all day. She glowed and started without fail all day long. It seems the battery was providing enough juice to do everything except provide enough amperage to crank the diesel's starter. As an aside- the mechanic indicated a number of problems on "newer" cars whenever there is a problem with the battery, alternator or some aspect of the "charging system." He said that Dodge minivans, and Mercedes SLK models, among others might fail to shift properly because the transmission sensors don't see proper voltage to upshift as a result of the charging system "issues."

He told me about the BMWs and Mercs with "backup batteries" these days- in order to continually provide electricity to the computers in them. And told me some horror stories about computer replacement following relay or sensor failure, and reprogramming issues, etc. I honestly think we may be entering a time when our vehicles are really more "technologically advanced" for their own good.

I went to the Chicago auto show yesterday- and saw all sorts of new bells and whistles on 2012 and 2013 models- and kept thinking "I wonder how much electricity that must draw?" and "Geez, is that really necessary?" and "Good grief- that battery is tiny! I wounder if you could get 4 years out of it..."