RH Digest — March 26th
"The Front Page for Retirement"
📗 e-Book Deals of the Day
Starting Over in Serena Cove (Serena Cove Silver Romances Book 1)
By: Lynne M. Spreen
Burned-out ER nurse Teresa Salazar moves to Serena Cove to rebuild her life, and that means no men and no drama. But then a neighborhood emergency sparks unexpected chemistry with retired fire chief Dan Garrison. Now, both must confront their pasts to embrace a second chance they never saw coming.
Get it now for FREE on Kindle!
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📺 Watch This Tonight: The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018)
Cate Blanchett, Jack Black, a ticking mystery, and a house that is very much alive.
Based on the beloved 1973 children’s novel, this enchanting film follows a young orphan who goes to live with his eccentric uncle in a sprawling, peculiar mansion full of moving furniture, stained glass creatures, and a clock hidden somewhere inside the walls that ticks toward something no one wants to find out. It is spooky in the way the very best autumn stories are spooky, more atmosphere and wonder than genuine fright.
What elevates it well above ordinary family fare is its cast. Jack Black is warm and funny as the rumpled, well-meaning uncle, but it is Cate Blanchett who walks away with the whole film, playing his wickedly witty neighbor with the kind of effortless comic elegance that reminds you what a truly great actress looks like when she is clearly having the time of her life.
It’s a wonderful choice for an evening with grandchildren, or equally enjoyable on your own with the lights turned pleasantly low. Cozy, clever, and just the right amount of mysterious.
Now streaming on Netflix.
🎧 Listen In: Muse — “Be With You” (2026)
A grand, sweeping reminder that some bands were simply built to make you feel something enormous.
British rock trio Muse have never done anything quietly, and their brand new single is no exception. Opening with a thunderclap of church organ before building into the soaring guitars and cinematic bombast their fans have loved for three decades, “Be With You” is the kind of song that demands to be played at full volume. It is a love song, at its heart, but written in Muse’s unmistakably operatic language: urgent, almost desperate, reaching for something bigger than itself.
The music video is just as striking, shot against desolate landscapes with flashes of intimate human connection woven through. And the timing could hardly be more exciting: the song is the first glimpse of their tenth studio album, “The WOW! Signal,” due out this June. If this opening statement is any indication, the wait will be very much worth it. Turn it up.
🚞 The Most Beautiful Train Rides in North America
Sit back, let someone else do the driving, and watch this extraordinary continent unfold outside your window.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/white-pass-yukon-route-6-TRAINTRIP0718-220e2c874df54fc88dd300d481b7632c.jpg "Best Scenic Train Rides in the USA from Hawaii to New York")
There is a particular kind of peace that only a train can offer. Not the cramped resignation of an airplane, not the white-knuckled attention of a highway. Just the gentle sway of the car, the rhythm of the rails beneath you, and a window wide enough to hold a mountain range. The world moves past at exactly the right speed to appreciate it.
North America, it turns out, is one of the finest places on earth to travel this way. From the sun-soaked California coastline to the soaring peaks of the Canadian Rockies, from the wide open plains of Montana to the glaciers of Alaska, the continent offers train journeys of almost staggering beauty. Many of them are accessible, unhurried, and surprisingly affordable. All of them are worth the trip.
You could fly from Chicago to San Francisco in five hours. But you would miss the waterfalls of Glenwood Canyon and the frosted pines of the Sierra Nevada. And that would be a shame.
The California Zephyr
Chicago to San Francisco, 2 days
Widely considered the most scenic train ride in America, the Zephyr crosses the full breadth of the country in glorious fashion. The journey through the Colorado Rockies and Glenwood Canyon alone is worth the ticket, before the train descends into the Utah desert and climbs over the Sierra Nevada into California. Book a sleeper roomette and wake up to a different landscape every morning.
The Empire Builder
Chicago to Seattle or Portland, 2 days
Following much of the route traced by Lewis and Clark, the Empire Builder rolls through the vast plains of North Dakota, hugs the southern edge of Glacier National Park in Montana, and descends through the forests of the Pacific Northwest to the sea. It is America at its most wide open and quietly magnificent.
The Coast Starlight
Los Angeles to Seattle, 35 hours
One of the great coastal journeys anywhere in the world. The train winds along the Pacific shoreline through Santa Barbara, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Portland before arriving in Seattle. The stretch between Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo, with the ocean just feet from the tracks, is as beautiful as train travel gets.
The Canadian (VIA Rail)
Toronto to Vancouver, 4 days
Canada’s grand transcontinental journey crosses the Shield, the prairies, and the Rockies in four unhurried days. Keep your eyes open for grizzly bears, mountain goats, and bison along the way. The glass-domed observation car makes every mile feel like a privilege. This one is a true bucket list experience.
The Alaska Railroad Denali Star
Anchorage to Fairbanks, Alaska
A journey through the raw, breathtaking wilderness of America’s final frontier. The train cuts through Denali National Park, offering views of glaciers, rivers, birch forests, and if you are lucky, North America’s tallest peak emerging from the clouds. Upgrade to GoldStar class for an open-air upper viewing platform with nothing between you and the Alaskan sky.
The Grand Canyon Railway
Williams, Arizona to the South Rim
A shorter journey but an unforgettable one, this historic railway has been carrying passengers to the rim of one of the world’s great wonders since 1901. The vintage train, the old West depot, and the moment the canyon first comes into view make this one a joy at any age.
One practical note worth knowing: Amtrak’s long-distance trains offer sleeper accommodations, private roomettes with fold-down beds, and dining cars with proper meals. For those of us who prefer our adventures comfortable, a sleeper car turns a train journey into something closer to a floating hotel than a commute. And unlike an airplane, there is never a reason to rush.
The rails are waiting. The window seat is yours.
Have a favorite train journey of your own? A route you took years ago that still stays with you? We would love to hear about it in the comments. The best travel writing always comes from the readers.
📻 Flashback Files
David Bowie — “Space Oddity” (Official Video, 1969)
He invented an astronaut named Major Tom, and somehow made the whole world feel his loneliness.
The BBC aired "Space Oddity" on July 20th, 1969 — the same day Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. The timing was either inspired programming or cosmic coincidence, but either way, it was perfect. David Bowie was 22, largely unknown, and had written a song that had almost nothing to do with the triumph of space travel and everything to do with the quiet terror of drifting away — from Earth, from certainty, from the people we love. Where the rest of the world was looking up in wonder, Bowie was asking a more unsettling question: what if you got all the way out there, and couldn't find your way back? The official video, spare and strange and utterly unlike anything else on television, announced the arrival of an artist who would spend the next five decades making the world see itself differently. Major Tom never did come home. Bowie made sure we never stopped thinking about why.
🍽 Recipe of the Day: 🍳 Hash Brown & Egg Bake with Sweet Green Pepper Rings
Golden hash browns, baked eggs, and tender green pepper rings come together in one comforting, crowd-pleasing dish.
Servings: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 40–45 minutes
Ingredients
4 cups frozen hash browns (thawed)
1 tbsp olive oil or melted butter
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup milk
6 large eggs
1 green bell pepper, sliced into rings
2–3 tbsp chopped green onions (optional)
Instructions
Prep the base
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a casserole dish. In a bowl, toss hash browns with oil, salt, and pepper, then press evenly into the bottom of the dish.Par-bake
Bake the hash brown layer for 20–25 minutes, until lightly golden and starting to crisp.Add cheese and eggs
Remove from oven and sprinkle with shredded cheese. Arrange the green pepper rings evenly on top. Carefully crack one egg into each ring.Add milk
Gently pour milk around the eggs (not directly over the yolks) to keep everything tender and creamy.Bake again
Return to the oven and bake for 15–20 minutes, until egg whites are set but yolks are still slightly soft, or cook longer if you prefer firmer eggs.Finish and serve
Sprinkle with green onions if using, slice, and serve warm.
❤️ Why You’ll Love It: Warm, hearty, and just a little bit playful, this dish is a lovely way to start the day or enjoy a relaxed weekend brunch.
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— The RetireHub Team