(This is actually not a post about Maggie Gyllenhaal.)

Back in July, I told you about Dad’s draft horses, Ginger and Molly.

(If you didn’t get to read it, please give it a quick gander.)

There’s been a development.

On the morning of Wednesday, September 1, Dad had just taken out the trash and was walking past the mailbox back up to the house when he looked out into the pasture to see Ginger and Molly grazing in the grass.

Then he saw something moving between them.

It was too big to be a dog.

For a second he thought it was a deer because of its long, thin legs.

Then he realized it was a colt.

Upon closer investigation, it quickly became obvious that Molly had had a baby.

Whammy!

Without further ado, meet Maggie:

Click for larger version

Click for larger version

Neither Dad nor the Amish man he bought her from knew that she was pregnant when Dad bought her. In fact, he was told that Molly had lost a colt a couple of years earlier and hadn’t been bred recently. So I guess she had a barnyard romance that nobody knew about.

Out of curiosity, Dad drove up to Amish country last week to ask the man if he might have any idea about Maggie’s lineage. When he arrived, he was told that the man had recently moved to Wisconsin.

Interesting.

Anyway, Mom and Dad are thrilled to be welcoming Maggie to the family. She’s a little pistol who’s already very playful and gentle.

Bob and Courtney brought Oliver down last week while I was visiting the folks. Bob’s excellent photos of the day can be found right here, including this amazing one:

The rest of my own pictures can be found here.

If life is going to be full of surprises, this is the kind you want.