if you set small goals you are never disappointed!

The goal today was simple: remove all finishes from this wall and confirm that it is a bearing wall.

Remove finishes: check

cut hole in ceiling to confirm the wall is bearing: check

so the wall is definitely a bearing wall (through the hole in the ceiling i could see the ends of the floor joists that bear on the wall)- before we remove it, we will need to install a beam to support those second floor joists.

those ducts supply the second floor rooms- since the wall will be removed, those will be relocated.