I dislike Notes but have, until now, persevered with it but am pinning my hopes in this being a one time glitch.
As an alternative to Notes, check out the free
Evernote. It is quite versatile while remaining easy to use. It also synchronizes with other devices or computers that you may have.
You do need to create a free Evernote account, since that is how your info is kept current on the different devices.