The sale of my parents' house, my own home for nearly twenty years, has taken place and occupation day also coincides with the, to speak empirically, end of [a] Mayan calendar.

Such a great thing should make a greater noise. That's a line from Shakespeare's "Tragedy Of Anthony And Cleopatra", an oft entertaining play but rather spotty and possessing nowhere near the insights his comedies bore. It's a rough one to stage, though presciently cinematic. Yes, that's my feeling too often about my life: an episodic film with a half-finished script which needed, well, more heroism, better sets? Maybe not longer speeches, for those who have known me.

That's my feeling about blogging the end of an era for a residence. So many stories going back a couple of months, alone. Seeing a realtor's assistant showing prospective buyers inside as I stopped off after a band practice is a start. As Mom's dementia grew during the "care taker" years, she often hissed about "a Lexus." "They" were going to sell the house, she fumed in what some would call a falsetto, witchy voice, and it was to someone in a Lexus.

Rain in southern California is rare and often a system's afterthought, let alone an aberration. That's why our prolific songwriters have sometimes produced characterizations as pungent as writers of the south and east; things occurring during it make an impression. The beginning rain of our season and the house brought memories of reproving: botched homework assignments come to light/parental observation, unpleasant dental appointments, or simply a flat lining mid week.

During perhaps our first significant rain of 2012/2013, I was stopping by to carry out a brother's request to fetch a hidden spare key. Here was my first look at the Realtor's sign and in the driveway two cars. One was a Lexus. I explained to the assistant what I was doing; no, I was not allowed to take anything from the premises until he was done.

I parked on the nearby next street, ruminating in the pattering and streaking. Yes, I remember that from childhood, in cars and in the house. And I remembered details of being told what to do.

Paradigm shift.