Hi,
After a week of no air conditioning, I broke down and called for a local reputable technician. He discovered a mouse nest in the outside condenser (with the expired mouse). The wires had been chewed through and there was a bad dual run capacitor. He replaced the capacitor and the wires. But the outdoor disconnect is not getting power and the labeled breaker is ON. He suggested having an electrician come out. He suspected that it might be a breaker problem. Anything I can do in the meantime since I am out of work and trying to not spend money! Thanks.

Im surprised he didn't open up the breaker panel and check the breaker for power. I don't suggest you doing this, unless you are extremely familiar with power panels. If so, take the cover off and check to see if you are getting 240 at the breaker with breaker on. If no power, you have a bad breaker. I do suggest calling in an electrician, as they will be able to find and fix the problem in short order.