Thanks! That’s it. relevant links and instructions (hidden due to restrictions on new users):
https://store.kde.org/p/1468103/
https://userbase.kde.org/Plasma/Installing_Plasmoids
https://userbase.kde.org/Plasma/Kickoff/Legacy
I had forgotten it’s called “kickoff” so I was getting a lot of irrelevant search results. The “legacy kickoff” widget is very popular! Several users are commenting there with the same experience as mine. I see the 5.21 version is designed to look like Windows 10, no wonder it’s a mess. Sob, when will we ever get rid of the corrupting influence of Microsoft which decreases usability even for everyone else. 