How do I configure the first day of the week?

All that is taken from the KDE settings. So, you should change that on the corresponding KDE setting panel.
KDE Control Panel for the KDE3 version or SystemSettings for the KDE4 version.

So it's out of KMyMoney's control.

However, new to a Linux based desktop environment, new to UBUNTU, I don't seem to be able to find KDE much less configure it.

I can't even understand how KMyMoney runs on UBUNTU desktop if it requires KDE.

This isn't a showstopper as far as my use of KMyMoney, but it will irk me everytime I am presented with a calendar from which to select a day and I have to think twice.

Someday I'll find out how to reconfigure the calendar.

You can run KDE applications in Gnome, just as you can run Gnome applications in a KDE environment.

However, you should have kcontrol or some other way to change KDE settings. I'll dig the archives to find the right command for that.

Here is a similar question: https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/kmymoney2/+question/83289

Now, you could try installing SystemSettings. That will bring a lot of KDE packages, but it seems to be the easiest way and you can uninstall them later.

Installing "SystemSettings" and using it to change the "first day of the week" worked for me.

Thanks you very much.