RAVE to the Seattle Parks and Recreation staff for keeping all the baseball fields in good shape so the kids can play ball and the parents and grandparents can hang out together in the parks watching baseball.

RAVE to those who helped me up after my peripheral neuropathy caused me to fall several times while running the Seattle Marathon 10K at Seward Park the other day. Raves especially to the two young men (I’m 78) at the end of the race who walked with me, each holding an arm. 50 yards from the finish line, I told them I wanted to run this last part myself. I started running, and to my surprise, they each ran beside me. Just before the finish line, I started to fall again, and they each grabbed an arm and carried me over the line. The crowd cheered.

RAVE to the runner who stopped when he saw that I turned into a road with a telephone wire hanging in the street, and came over and lifted it up so my car could go underneath. Such a small act made me smile the rest of the day! Thanks for being part of the Seattle culture I love!

RAVE to the staff at the Ballard and Queen Anne Trader Joe’s — and probably their other stores, too. The workers there are kind, helpful, efficient, patient and cheerful. They go out of their way to find information and answer questions about product availability.

RAVE to the Washington Poison Center in Seattle. While successfully super-gluing two small pieces of a broken zipper pull, I managed to join my fat thumb and forefinger. Following the package suggestions, I called the local poison center. The kind and understanding staff member counseled: Don’t use rubbing alcohol. 100 proof vodka works, but acetone is the best. I found an old can of acetone and it worked great!

RAVE to the Seattle firefighter who responded to my 5-year-old granddaughter’s question about girl firefighters. He explained that women can be firefighters. He told my granddaughter about the women on his crew and how they worked hard to become leaders within the fire service. My granddaughter is now determined to become the chief of the Seattle Fire Department. What a great approach to recruiting the firefighters of the future.

RAVE to Kroger for providing a coupon sheet in its flyers for the digital deals. It’s a win for all of us who don’t have phones to get those deals.

RAVE to the tradition of neighborhood Night Out. It’s wonderful to just close the streets and hang out with neighbors because, for many reasons, we just never do that often enough. The kids can run around safely, and everyone is looking out for each other.

RAVE to the 65-85 year olds who keep showing up to the political rallies. They don’t want us to go backward.

RAVE to my Buy Nothing group. Not only are they amazing neighbors who gift and do favors, they’re always willing to help out with requests like my crazy scavenger hunt items.

RAVE to the kind person who bailed me out. On Aug. 12, I was trying to get out of the parking lot at a medical office, but my ticket and credit card never processed. I tried several times, and I could never get an assistant call when I pushed the button. The wonderful person behind me came to my rescue and paid for my parking ticket. (I couldn’t thank the person because there was no place for me to pull over and thank her personally.) During the time I was trying to get out of the lot, the price went up $2. I’ve had problems before at that same parking lot, but I’ve always managed to get out without too much trouble. I just wish I could pay the person back the amount she paid. So I just want to thank her for bailing me out of this horrible situation.

RANT AND RAVE Rave to a perfect summer rain and the music it creates, dancing on the leaves and freshening the air. Rant to the roar of air traffic drowning it out, polluting the air and disturbing the peace.