A farrago of words

Welcome to Round 7 of ABC Wednesday. The meme was started by Mrs. Denise Nesbitt, and people from all over the world come together to play and share their entries. Each week word(s) beginning with the designated letter are selected and illustrate through a photo, poem or prose. My twist on the meme is selecting unusual words and pairing them with photos of familiar things in my world. I’ll be pulling words from sources here, here and, of course, here.

Let’s get unusual…

fane: temple.
I know there are many more opulent temples in the world, but this is the one I think is most amazing. It’s official name is El Castillo, located at Chitzen Itza in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico. It rises 98 feet to the sky (30 meters) and sits on a square base each side measuring 181 feet (55.3 meters). I’ve seen it twice and the sight of it always gives me shivers.

Built without the use of any mechanized machinery or tools, it dates between the 9th and 12th centuries AD. Essentially hand-built by pre-Columbian Mayans, it served as the temple to their god, Kukulkan. The god is a Feathered Serpent deity, similar to the Aztec and Toltec deity figure known as Quetzalcoatl. El Castillo has stairways on each of the four temple sides. Serpent sculptures run down the sides of the north staircase. During the spring and autumn equinoxes, the setting sun sets off shadows that make it look like the serpent is descending from the tower to the ground. Mayan priests would meet the serpent at the base of the temple after its descent to receive divine instructions. Each side of the pyramid has 91 steps. When added together with the top “step” of the temple platform, the total is 365 steps. One step for each day of the year. Coincidence? I think not.

faviform: shaped like a honeycomb.
About an hour away from us is a Mennonite country market that’s to die for. I’m working on a separate post about it so stay tuned. I found something in the store shaped like a honeycomb because it is a honeycomb! Can’t get closer to the source than this.

fain: happy; inclined; pleased.
Recently Peanut and Entrepreneur (aka Papa) were playing and she let out the biggest belly laugh I’ve ever heard from her. She’s always been a Papa’s girl, and recently has decided that Daddy simply cannot be out of her site. Her eyes light up when either one of them come through the door. More insecure Moms/Nanas would be troubled by this, but Army Wife and I love to see her face when that happens.

*Farrago: mixed fodder; any disordered mixture. Much like my thought process lately.

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