Really Bad Timing

This is a really important part of our family. It gets used daily and we would be lost if anything happened to it. Can you tell what it is? It's the element for my stove. Last night I was pre-heating the oven to cook some gourmet corn dogs when it made a funny whoosh-hiss sound and got really bright. For a quick second my life flashed before my eyes and I just kept telling myself "Go toward the light." Then I realized that I wasn't hurt or dead and had to think of another explaination. So then I just figured that the little dragon that lives inside of my oven (and provides all of the heat) had over done it because I saw flames. It was scary. I was dumb and opened the door. There was a brief burst of bright white light and then nothing. This is what it looks like up close.

Yep, part of the element literally melted away. HELLO! It's DECEMBER!!!! Who doesn't bake in December? Jeff has made phone calls and has begged and pleaded and I think maybe even bribed the people on the other end to get it here as fast as they can. You see, we live in Idaho and I guess the average Joe doesn't own an electric stove here. They all still use the wood burning ones that their great great great great grandmas used! It has to be shipped from Timbucktu and will get here some time next year, from the sounds of it. *sigh*