Thanks, Tobias: that's the kind of literal instruction I need at this point.
I use the free Wavepad. Just get the program from NCH and load it. Then simply open your saved wave file from Wavepad. No need to load the LAME codec. Wavepad is a one stop shop.
WAVEPAD download link When the free fully open demo time runs out you can simply opt to "Run in demo mode" and it still does everything you need it to do.