WMEO 9 Spotlight: Felines Who Left Pawprints on Our Hearts

Posted on October 14, 2026October 11, 2026 by Dusty Roads | No Comments

An orange cat and a black cat sit behind the WMEO 9 news desk like anchors, with a microphone and papers in front of them and a fall foliage newsroom backdrop behind the desk.

📰 WMEO Cultural Moment: “Cats Who Changed the Internet”

We Meow- You Listen

Felines Who Left Pawprints on Our Hearts deserve a moment of recognition, and WMEO 9 is proud to share a special cultural segment honoring the cats who shaped online culture. From Cole and Marmalade to Lil Bub and Grumpy Cat, these beloved companions changed the digital world with their charm, courage, and connection to millions.

Banner: “Today, WMEO takes a moment to celebrate the cats who shaped the internet — the ones who made us laugh, comforted millions, and left pawprints on our hearts.”

Balboa: “And they paved the way for all of us newsroom cats who followed.”

Banner: “Lil Bub’s sweetness… Grumpy Cat’s legendary frown… Morris the finicky cat… Oreo… and Cole — the brave, bright soul who stood beside Marmalade for years.”

Balboa: “Cole fought the Big C with more courage than most humans. And he still inspires people. Deborah wears his shirts all the time.”

Banner: “And now Marmalade joins the great ones. A good cat. A beloved cat. A cat whose presence made the world feel kinder.”

Balboa (lightening the tone): “And he had better camera presence than Banner. Just saying.”

Banner (giving him a look): “Balboa…”

Balboa (shrugs): “What? It’s true.”

Banner (closing): “We honor them not with sadness, but with gratitude. Their legacy lives on in every whisker that appears on a screen.”

This has been a WMEO Special Report

A Halloween Caution

Posted on October 5, 2026October 2, 2026 by Dusty Roads | 2 Comments

Black cat sitting in a pumpkin patch

Halloween brings spooky stories, ghostly wanderings, and old superstitions. But black cats are not evil. They are loving companions and symbols of good luck.

Sadly, black cats are often the last to be adopted from shelters. And during this season, some people target free‑roaming black cats. It’s cruel and heartbreaking.

A sleek black cat lounges on a dark wooden mantel in front of a fireplace, front paws stretched out as he gazes calmly to the side. A TV and small digital clock sit behind him, with a blue wall and plants adding a cozy backdrop.

Please keep your black cats indoors and safe. They deserve protection, love, and a world that sees their beauty — not outdated fear.

Cats and Chaos: Life With Two Six‑Year‑Old Furry Agents of Mayhem

Posted on September 27, 2026September 26, 2026 by Dusty Roads | No Comments

Two cats play with a cardboard box on a carpeted floor; an orange cat lies inside the box on its back while a black cat stands outside, reaching in with a paw.

A Chaotic Day in a Two‑Cat Household

Yesterday was an especially chaotic day for the kitties — the kind of day where fur flies, nerves fray, and you wonder how two small creatures can generate so much drama. For the first time in six years, I actually yelled at Balboa. Just two words: BAD CAT! I’m usually endlessly patient with both cats, especially Balboa, who’s shy, noise‑averse, and generally my sensitive little shadow. But yesterday? Yesterday he earned his moment.

Season Change Shenanigans

Both Balboa and Banner are six years old, but lately Balboa has been acting more like a six‑month‑old kitten. With the cooler weather rolling in, I haven’t had the deck slider open as much — it’s too cold, and like any good New Englander, I refuse to turn the heat on in September. I try to make it to November 1 before touching the thermostat. Maybe the cats are struggling with the seasonal shift, because Balboa has been:

sleeping less
meowing more
tormenting Banner
racing around like a demented demon

Banner, ever the sensible one, retreats to the bathroom sink when he’s had enough.

Balboa’s Hyperactive Tour of the House

A black cat stands on top of a white plastic laundry basket placed on a tall black cabinet, surveying the room with blue curtains and additional baskets in the background. Yesterday, Balboa was in full Balboa Mode — climbing the cat tree, the bookshelf, the hutch, the table, and stopping at the cat grass like it was his personal salad bar. Meowing the entire time. I ignored him, assuming he’d eventually burn off the chaos.

After chasing Banner around the living room, things finally went quiet. I thought, Great. Peace at last.

I was wrong.

The Crash Heard Across the Kitchen

A huge crash exploded from the kitchen. Balboa was perched on the counter between the kitchen and dining room, looking down like he’d just summoned gravity on purpose.

I don’t dash anymore, but I moved fast enough. I’ve long since relocated anything breakable to cupboards, but Balboa still found a way.

I was in the middle of swapping out the Brita filter — a routine I’ve perfected to avoid buying filters during tight budget months. I keep two 27‑cup dispensers so I can rotate them and buy filters on my own timeline.

Balboa decided the dispenser didn’t belong on his counter. He poked, nudged, and tested it until gravity took over. Plastic + hard floor = shattered dispenser.

In my head, I heard my mother’s voice: “This is why we can’t have nice things.”

A clear Brita water dispenser with a gray lid sits beside a white cylindrical Brita filter cartridge on a light surface.

Budget Panic Meets Cat Chaos

My next thought was: Not this month. The annual vet bill and vaccinations are coming up, and replacing a dispenser wasn’t in the September budget. Rationally, I knew I wouldn’t need a new one for 3–4 months, but in the moment? Logic didn’t matter.

So I yelled.

The Aftermath: Cat Guilt and Cat Time‑Out

Everything stopped. Banner dropped his tail and vanished into the bedroom — probably straight to the sink. Balboa shrank into himself, then streaked into his cardboard box and curled up like a tiny guilty gremlin.

I felt bad… but he looked adorable. He stayed in that box all afternoon, only emerging for dinner before returning to his self‑assigned time‑out.

By bedtime, the household was back to normal. Both cats were roaming the premises again, hunting for their nightly treats. The plastic shards were cleaned up, the crisis was over, and life with cats — and chaos — continues.

A black cat sits upright on the top platform of a beige cat tree while an orange cat lounges stretched out on the middle level, with white blinds, blue walls, framed cat photos, and a leafy plant in the background.

A Day in the Life of a Retired, Car‑Free, Cat‑Ruled Creator

Posted on September 25, 2026September 24, 2026 by Dusty Roads | No Comments

The Big Change: Goodbye, Car

Some people downsize their homes when they retire. I downsized my driving.

After three years and a whopping 5,000 miles, I realized my car was basically a very expensive lawn ornament. Once the daily commute vanished, my driving shrank to quick errands and the occasional entertainment day trip. So I let it go. Honestly, that’s probably the biggest shift in my life lately — and surprisingly, I don’t miss it.

The Weekend Mystery

Here’s the funny part: Even without a job, I still prefer weekends.

My routines don’t change. The schedule stays the same. Responsibilities remain exactly where I left them. And yet… Sunday night still ties my stomach in a knot like I’m about to face a pop quiz on Monday morning. Apparently, some habits survive retirement.

The IRS Incident (A.K.A. The Heart Attack That Wasn’t)

Let’s talk about the day I nearly met my maker.

I use USPS Informed Delivery — a free service that emails you a preview of your mail. Usually helpful. Occasionally horrifying.

At 8 AM, I opened my Daily Digest and saw it: A letter from the IRS.

The IRS! What could they possibly want? My taxes were filed. My refund was received. I hadn’t robbed Fort Knox or started a secret offshore casino. And yet there it was… a government envelope with my name on it.

The mail wouldn’t arrive until 1 or 2 PM, which meant I had five hours to imagine every worst‑case scenario known to mankind. I paced around the room, fretting over every possibility. At one point I even started mentally drafting my own obituary.

By the time the mail truck finally rolled up, I was a wreck. With shaking hands, I tore open the envelope and discovered…

A solicitation. No audit. No penalty. And absolutely no summons lurking inside. Just a cheerful little note informing me I was eligible for a government match of up to $1,000 if I opened an IRA.

If I had extra money, I’d still have a car — so into the circular file it went. My hands needed a few minutes to stop vibrating.

Morning: Powered by Cats and Coffee

But let’s rewind. Before IRS‑induced panic attacks, my day starts with my furry alarm clocks.

Retired people supposedly need a reason to get up in the morning. I have two: Banner and Balboa, who demand breakfast no later than 6 AM. One of them will wake me — gently if I’m lucky, aggressively if I’m not.

They eat. They go back to bed. I log onto the computer and begin my morning ritual.

Step 1: Facebook Patrol

Visit my personal page
Vote for Joe in the Best of Florida contest
Check notifications
Make sure the internet hasn’t imploded overnight

Step 2: Creator Duties

I run two pages:

Dusty Roads Photos
Sights and Scenes of an Everyday Person

I check for:

Posts that need to be made
Tasks Facebook wants me to complete for “maximum exposure”
Anything that belongs on my daily task list

Step 3: Blog Headquarters

Over to AroundDustyRoads.com:

Add writing tasks
Plan WMEO mayhem
Make notes for future posts

Step 4: Adulting

Check all four email accounts
Check both bank accounts (because forgetting to log something is my superpower)
Check my calendar: doctors, dentists, lawyers, Indian chiefs — whoever wants a piece of me today
Check chore schedules: laundry, cleaning, errands

By the time I finish all that, it’s practically lunchtime.

Midday: The Domestic Intermission

I take a break from screen time to: Black cat standing near a sliding glass door looking outside while an orange cat walks across the carpet toward the door in natural light.

Clean the kitty litter
Bag the trash
Hand out kitty treats
Make breakfast
Shower

Then it’s back to work — creator work, that is.

Afternoon: The Job I Love (Even If It Doesn’t Pay)

Person sitting at a round wooden table using a laptop, with a notebook and small items nearby in a cozy indoor workspace. I tackle my task list:

Post photos
Write blog entries
Manage pages
Keep the creator machine humming

Believe it or not, this fills the entire day. Retirement isn’t lounging on a beach — it’s running a one‑woman media empire with two feline interns.

Evening: The Cozy Shift

By evening, I’m ready to unwind: Cover of the book “Fury in Death” by J.D. Robb featuring swirling fiery orange and yellow designs over a dark background with a city skyline silhouette.

A book
The TV
Balboa curled in my lap
Banner stretched at my feet like a fluffy orange dog

People ask me all the time: “Aren’t you bored? What do you do all day?”

The answer is simple: No, I’m not bored. I’m busy. My blog and creator pages are my job…

Some people think retirement means I’m available 24/7, just sitting around eating bon bons and waiting for their call. Let me assure you: the only ones who get that kind of access are my cats — and even they have to wait until I finish my morning checklist.

I may not get paid, but the satisfaction is priceless. My paycheck comes in the form of joy, creativity, and that little spark of accomplishment when I finish a post or a project. I work for myself now — and let me tell you, I’m the strictest boss I’ve ever had.

And I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

WMEO Commentary- “Cats & Birds: A Complicated Friendship”

Posted on September 24, 2026September 23, 2026 by Dusty Roads | No Comments

⭐ WMEO Commentary: Live from the Lifestyle Desk

WMEO Anchor:

Banner Good afternoon. I’m Banner, reporting live from the kitchen because it’s comfortable and I was already here. Today’s top story: Cats and pet birds — friends, foes, or football snacks?

We begin with a heartwarming historical report: Pitty Pat the Parakeet and Mittens the cat once lived together peacefully, proving that some cats can, in fact, behave themselves around birds.

Unfortunately, not all cats share Mittens’ enlightened worldview.

Field Reporter: Balboa

Balboa joins us from the hallway, where he has issued a formal statement:

“Birds are snack food with wings. Humans eat wings during football. I’m just following tradition.”

WMEO Legal would like to remind viewers that pet birds are not buffalo wings, but Balboa insists he is simply “respecting game‑day culture.”

A black cat sits on sandy ground facing a seagull with its wings partly spread and beak open, creating a tense standoff near the water’s edge. Experts believe Balboa’s stance may be influenced by his traumatic encounter with a seagull, who attempted to steal his microphone, his notes, and possibly his soul. Balboa has not forgiven the bird community.

Roving Reporter: Pumpkin Spice

Pumpkin Spice briefly checked in from atop the refrigerator, noting that “some birds are friendly, but others have… questionable motives.” He declined further comment and demanded snacks.

Pumpkin Spice — field reporter with his press pass and camera.

WMEO Conclusion While some cats, like Mittens, embrace feathered friendship… others, like Balboa, believe birds belong on the menu. WMEO encourages all viewers to remember:

Birds are friends, not football snacks — even if they do have wings.

Banner will now return to his nap.

A fluffy orange cat lies on his back on a carpeted floor near a sunlit sliding glass door, paws curled toward his chest as he relaxes in a warm patch of light.

WMEO will return to its usual professional newsroom setup in our next report… just as soon as we round up the staff, bribe Balboa out of the hall, and get Pumpkin Spice off the refrigerator.

empty news desk with microphone, toy mouse and teddy bear

Category Archives: Pets

WMEO 9 Spotlight: Felines Who Left Pawprints on Our Hearts