James Arness Birthday Poetry Contest Winner

Welcome back to Patti’s porch. Did it pour here last night! Rained so hard we could not see across the street. Our front yard turned into a lake and the driveway rivaled the Arkansas for a while. Our granddaughter watched out the window with the delighted excitement of the seven year old she is as pea-sized hail stones hit the ground and rolled around like tiny marbles.

We’re hoping for all the mud to dry up by tomorrow evening. It’s Madison’s first “machine pitch” baseball game. The kids are geared up and ready to go, if only the sun will come out and smile with enough warmth to dry up all the standing water.

I got some exciting news in today’s email. A very special person, my lifelong hero, celebrated his birthday a couple of days ago. I’ve written about Gunsmoke’s Matt Dillon, portrayed by James Arness on television for 20 years, on this blog before. This year, Jim celebrated his 86th birthday by offering a Gunsmoke poetry contest. Since I am a writer and a Gunsmoke fan, I could not resist entering the competition.

Today, I received notification that I had won one of the 4th through 16th place positions. The contest was originally advertised for 1st through 6th place, but Jim liked so many of the poems that he awarded ten more winners. Sounds just like our Jim. Kind-hearted to the core and loves his fans!

The poem was fun to write, but I have to admit, those first three were stellar and deserved the recognition they received. As a winner, I am given a choice of one of the photographs Jim sells on his web site, autographed by him, of course. I chose a photo with Matt, Kitty, Doc, Festus and Quint standing around a birthday cake and wearing big smiles on their faces. It reminds me of the camaraderie the characters always demonstrated on the show. Oh, yeah, I still watch every episode of Gunsmoke that TVLand airs. Now that we have a DVR, I never have to miss one! It’s great!

Just as God saw fit to bless our thirsting land with the rain we so desperately needed, I am saying a prayer that He will smile on Jim and bless him with many more happy, healthy years with his wonderful family and loyal fans.

Check Jim's web site to learn more about this great actor and read the fine poems that won first, second, and third place.

Thanks for reading my blog!