Norm:Welcome again to the forum (see also greeting in other post today) 
>> I am a "lapsed" post-solo Student, having gotten 38 hours Dual in a C-172H back in 1995. Currently, I am back into Flying at a local Glider Club getting Instruction in a Blanik L-13 (yes, I know FSFS doesn't support Gliders yet )
I have a brand new Dell XPS LOADED, and am able to run FS9 easily with all sliders to "Max"...
Splendid stuff - that's the sort of rig we like to see! 
>> ... just d/l ed the registered version of FSFS last night, and am spending the day at work (using my old laptop) actually reading the manual, and going over the GREAT tutorials on your site... pardon a few questions here...
Thanks for the kind words! Questions? We love 'em - go for it...
>> Is there any problem with using the Airfields I am already visually acquainted with as a Local (KHEG and KCRG), and likewise using local fields for x-country work?? KHEG (Herlong Field) is a Unicomm field, and KCRG (Craig Municipal) is a Ground/Tower field; is it better initially to AVOID ATC and Comms to better concentrate on Airmanship?? For x-country work, in North FL we are BLESSED with many small grass/sod fields; should I use these for shorter x-country work, or stick to Tarmac facilities?
One of the ironies of FSFS is that we always recommend that people start out with ILS runways as ILS approaches and landings are easier to follow than what FSFS refers to as 'NonILS' approaches.
You can land at any runway with an ILS signal and FSFS will be watching you as you work your way down the glideslope (GS) and along the localiser (LOC). You'll hopefully 
have instruments on board to watch these 2 values and if you follow them closely the instructor will be your best buddy.
On the other hand, you can certainly land at runways which do not have GS or LOC, but you must select runways which have matching data files in the the NonILS folder of FSFS on your PC. You can make your own files for your favourite runways too as explained in the manual. We are also about to restart a section on the website which will contain more of these files as time goes on.
In addition, to fly a non ILS approach you must load a flight plan to that airfield into FSFS (regardless of what is loaded into FS) and you must select the runway you intend to land at in FSFS - this is done at the Flight Plan page.
Finally - you must make sure that your NAV1 radio is NOT receiving and ILS signal as if it is the instructor will expect you to follow it and land at its runway.
So in a nutshell, visual (non ILS) approaches are a bit more work to set up.
As to ATC - sure I would start out without it as things can get very complicated between what the instructor is telling you to do and what ATC may be yelling in the background - the same is true of the Flight Simulator lessons.
>> While the realtime weather feature is fun, should I avoid this (in the early stages) when the Weather is poor?
Again - sounds good - start out simple, but when you're ready go for the rough stuff as that will be more realistic and score more points for very low visibility approaches and crosswinds at landing.
>> I have rudder pedals, but am not using them yet... When installed, will the Virtual CFI instruct in slips and skids?
(Please see your other post today on this subject where I discussed controllers.)
>> Sorry for all the questions; I am EAGER to commit Virtual LIFT in the best fashion!
No problem! We like to hear from FSFS folks!