Rich,
I had an engine with a similar story as yours and mine eventually became fatal. Did you take a saw and cut your
oil filter apart and examine it? If not and you still have the filter take it and cut one end off of it and pull the paper element out and expand the paper filter. Look for ANY signs of brass or copper material in the folds of your filter especially near the bottom.
Taking your
oil filter apart is very messy but it could save you thousands of dollars if you catch a bearing going out soon enough.
Clois