Well, got studying on the furnace/basement stairs issue some more and determined I can't take that header out. I'm not really sure it DOES anything, but it is connected, sort of anyway, to the support system for the stairs going to the 2nd floor. Don't really trust my judgement on this one so I'm not touching it. (You can read that as, "I'm scared to death of screwing it up and having to listen to SWMBO critique my judgement.) So the next best idea is to remove 2 stair treads and simply screw them back on (they are cleat style, no risers) after the fact. Seems simple enough, so it'll probably end up a disaster. Did manage to get 15 or so boxes of clothing out of the basement in preparation for a Salvation Army run. Our closest SA is in Watertown, about 45 minutes. Not a terrible distance, but it's going to be in the F350 as there's no way I'm making 4 or 5 trips in her Outlander.
Gord and I took the UTV out checking fence and just generally exploring the place. Absolutely gorgeous day!