"It's A Wonder, Joe"

My grandpa Joe Ridnour died when I was 16, so Bud never knew him. Grandma Delphia lived into her 90's, so Bud did know her. He sometimes refers to her as "Delphia the Destroyer". That's when he is comparing me to her. Grandma did have a reputation for being mean and outspoken.
One of the things I didn't like about staying with Grandpa & Grandma during the summer when I was a kid was the way they would bicker back and forth. One day as we drove down their lane on the way to town, Grandma looked over into the pasture. "Joe, that windmill is a wonder." I imagine Grandpa thought, "Now what?" "What do you mean it's a wonder?" he asked her. "Well, it is. It's a wonder." This went on back and forth for awhile each one getting a little more petty. He thought she was belittling his windmill. Finally after a few miles Grandma said, "It's a Wonder, Joe. That's the brand name on the rudder".
This is one of the Joe & Delphia stories I've related to Bud. Now sometimes when he and I get into a peevish argument, he will say to me, "It's a wonder." That's usually all it takes for me to realize I'm acting like my Grandma Delphia. Often I'll say, "Yes, Joe" and our bickering will cease.
Wonder windmills were first manufactured in 1912 by the Elgin Wind Power and Pump Co. "It's a wonder that you don't have to climb up and grease it every week," was one of it's advertising quotes. The Wonder was the first successful widely distributed of the self-oiling windmills.
Windmills were essential to farmers and ranchers before electricity was available. The windmill business was extremely competitive between 1890 and 1920. There was a 'windmill war' between three companies. One of those companies was Aermotor. Of the nearly 100 different companies, it is the brand I remember seeing the most.
Grandpa & Grandma Ridnour had lived on their farm more than ten years at the time of their Wonder Windmill exchange. I can't believe they hadn't noticed the brand of their windmill before that day. I think they just liked to bicker; kind'a like Bud and I.