Out of the Ashes - or Kitchen Disasters Lead to Discoveries

The night before last, we experienced a disaster that could have been much worse (now that I look back on it). Dave was cooking dinner (yes, he does that) and had broccoli steaming on the stove. I was in the other room when suddenly the fire alarm went off. The cat, dog and I all came from different directions and in the kitchen, there was Dave - holding the now-melting pot - over the floor. We all -yes, the cat and dog too- stood there for a moment in total disbelief. I had a fleeting thought that I was glad it wasn't me who had done this (forgotten to put water in the bottom of the steamer), as I watched the quickly hardening metal gouging the hardwood floor in at least a dozen spots. But, nobody was hurt, the floor was going to be refinished soon anyway and the pot can be replaced. After the metal cooled, Dave pried up the pieces from the floor, placed them into a bowl, handed it to me and said, "Go forth and make jewelry!" I must say, the shapes are pretty interesting...