From the previous picture you can see that behind the toilet is drywall …

Which I don’t want to have to cut into, unless it was strictly necessary.

It isn’t.

This is the other, ‘living room’ side of that same wall.

You’re looking at a 4×8 piece of thin wall paneling, which is worth about $45 at the current brand-new price. I will likely be paying it, for at least one panel, because this is how I’m going to get into the heart of the utility known as running water, and replace the pipe and the valve and the hose behind the toilet.

Even if I didn’t have to do it this way (though I believe I do), I want to expose what is under this existing panel to my own personal inspection anyway–to finally have a complete understanding of how water enters the house, gets routed to sinks and the shower and all the rest, and then is drained away down to the sewers after being used, to wash bodies or clothes or dishes, or evaporate from the AC unit … or whatever.

There’s another exciting possibility, down there at the lower left.

Whoever put this system together long ago wanted a bathtub, just like I do.

I deeply doubt whether they actually ever had that functionality. Because … shouldn’t the tub drain be much lower, and the hot and cold water faucets higher? I hypothesize thusly, but maybe ripping out the panel will enlighten me on that score as well.

I will then have the basic knowledge necessary to begin planning for that hot dream of a long soak in my own place (if not yet the resources to make that dream a reality–someday).

Among other things, God alone knows what else is going to need to be replaced underneath there, and what that might cost.

I would tear down the panel today and start to find out, except for one thing, named Lexi the very curious Cat.

Instead I’m going to go do my walk, and meditate upon what I can do about that problematic little furball at this very early preliminary stage of the Project.