enjoy them.
Lots of little things come up. One by one we all learn the hard way about that type of stuff.
In addition to what just happened,- when it's below freezing :
If you are riding in a couple of inches of snow, the front brake will become useless anyway. It may not be from the washing. The snow gets carried up onto the brakes and turns to ice, if it's cold enough. It just keeps happening. Don't worry about it until you get to the road or out of the snow then you can clear the brakes. The good part is that in snow you (hopefully) don't go too fast. Another good thing is that the front wheel usually clears the way for the back wheel and not so much snow gets on the back brake, your back brake should be fine. If it's easy to do and you have a long way to go in the snow you might want to release the brakes and get them out of the way for a while. Just remember to fix them when you need them. !!!!!
Don't take my word for it, test the back brake to be sure.
If the bike is snowy, if you bring it in the house, it must stay inside until it is dry. Otherwise the snow turns to water and then freezes when you go outside. If it's not frozen up, keep it outside. You may get a frozen cable for example.
If the bike is NOT snowy, but completely,say,10 degrees.-When you bring it in the house it will get covered with water from condensation, and freeze when you bring it back outside. You need to keep it out, or inside until it is dry completely. (Overnight).
If the bike has been inside and is room temperature, and you go out into the deep snow,The snow will turn to water when it hits the warm bike and then turn to ice, until the bike is cold. This is only at first.
If you have time, leave the bike outside for a while before you ride.
I can't remember for sure John. I think I read that this is your first year, all winter commuting, you’ll get this all down for next year. Press on!
