I shouldn't laugh when Mrs. Griz has an encounter with Murphy's Law, but it was kind of amusing when Murphy struck again during one of her trips to work last week.

What happened? She had a very unusual work day Wednesday. Because her office was needed for a classroom, she didn't have to be to work until noon — usually it's early in the morning.

Leaving around 11 a.m., she decided to stop for a sandwich and a drink so she wouldn't have to worry about lunch when she got to her school.

On her drive to work, she decided to take a sip of the soft drink she had purchased and attempted to pick it up; but, because the Styrofoam cup was flexible, it slipped through her fingers and landed upside down on the floor.

Of course, the top popped off and icy soda splashed all over her pant leg and filled her shoe. Following her instincts she quickly picked up the cup and turned it over to reduce the spill. But, as Murphy's law would have it, the force of the upside down impact pushed the straw upward, piercing the bottom of the cup, which, of course, meant the pop left in the container also leaked out onto the carpeted floor of Mrs. Griz' car.

I wasn't there when it happened; but our dog, about 14 miles from the scene of the unfortunate incident, became upset and started barking as though something was terribly wrong — perhaps, with her keen ears and from miles away, my dog heard Mrs. Griz cry out in desperation and agony as pop filled her shoe and soaked into the carpet of her car. I wish my dog could tell me what words were uttered, but maybe it’s better I not know.

Needless to say, with pop all over the floor, her pant leg wet and her foot half frozen from the pop and ice which ran into her shoe, Mrs. Griz decided to turn around and head back home to clean up the mess and put on some dry clothes and shoes.

She told me part of her story on the phone and the rest when she arrived. I tried to restrain myself, but her story made me smile and even laugh a bit inside.

Yes, I had to control myself to avoid trouble; but it was kind of funny.

I thought such events only happened to me. And, if the wet shoe was on my foot, I am sure she would have been laughing, too.

Randy Moll is the managing editor of the Westside Eagle Observer. He can be reached by email at rmoll@ nwaonline.com.