The April License Plate Report was both big and small — how better to describe it when only one state was spotted, but that state was Alaska?

May more than made up for it with five new states on the map: Iowa, Missouri, Delaware, Nevada, and New Mexico.

For comparison: Last year’s May tally was an underwhelming 2; in 2022, I managed 4, one of which was Hawaii, which maybe should count double; in 2021, May brought in 3; and 2020 saw a measly 1, but since that was at the beginning of COVID lockdown this isn’t too surprising.

Massachusetts made a concession to the pandemic: If your vehicle was due for its annual inspection in March or April, you got a two-month grace period. Malvina Forester’s month had been March, so we slid up to May. The following year Malvina flunked the emissions test so I drove around with an R for REJECTED sticker till it got fixed. During those two or three weeks, I noticed just how many cars and trucks on Vineyard roads were sporting R stickers. I think it was the following year that I showed up for inspection, as usual, during the last week of the month, only to be warned by the attendant that my tires weren’t gonna pass and I might want to do something about that. Getting new tires took a few days and slid us into June, so giving Malvina a bath and checking lights, blinkers, etc., is on this weekend’s agenda.