I found an electrician!!! They are here working now - will update as long as the bill for services doesn’t give me a heart attack.
So the electricians have us all straight - haven’t seen the bill yet so I’m still vertical LOL
The problem was we had a burned up neutral wire in the closet - was it a fire hazard/did we get lucky (blessed)? That would be a yes. Whoever installed the light fixture (previous owner, non-electrician) pinched the neutral wire when they installed the light fixture in the closet & eventually it shorted out.
With the electrical issues(s) fixed & the whole house fan disconnected, I called the insulation contractor. He will get us back on the schedule & call tomorrow with a date.
So now I have an electrician I can call. The crew was terrific - friendly, explained everything to me & cleaned up their mess. When I showed them the panel box in the basement, they pointed out a 4 ft snake skin hanging off the wires/pipes next to the box! Not sure when that happened - question is “where did the snake go after shedding its skin?” Probably in the basement somewhere - I don’t smell anything so it could be alive still. Mom is NOT happy, but it’s a rat snake, not poisonous so I’m not worried.