It's alive! And, growing inside a house.

And it's been alive for possibly 150 years, or longer.

"It" sounds horrible. But for decades it's brought pleasure and warmth to people coast-to-coast.

John Hollenhorst has this unique story from Parowan.

You don't think we're going to kill off the suspense that quickly do you?

First we have to introduce the setting and the cast of characters. And we'll tease you a little more with a preview of the plot:

"It" once grew so suddenly, it nearly ruined a governor's trip to Washington.

This is the house. One of Parowan's oldest.

This is Carol Wright, 93 years young. "It" is older than she is.

Carol Wright/Parowan Resident: "WE THINK THAT IT CAME ACROSS WITH THE PIONEERS."

This is the son of a former Governor. Even in Salt Lake, he knows "it" well.

Scott Matheson, Jr./Salt Lake City Resident: "IT'S A LIVING THING, BUT IT'S A VERY HARDY LIVING THING."

OK, let's cut to the chase.

"It" is in Carol's refrigerator. In a crock.

And when it comes out, it's very gooey.

CAROL WRIGHT/PAROWAN: "THE OLDER IT GETS, THE MORE SOUR IT IS."

Yep. Sourdough. Or what's known in the baking game as Sourdough Start or Sourdough Starter.

Technically, it's a collection of yeast, bacteria and flour, religiously maintained and kept alive, for who knows how long.

SCOTT MATHESON, JR/SALT LAKE CITY: "YOU HAVE TO FEED IT, YOU HAVE TO TAKE CARE OF IT, YOU'VE GOT TO NURTURE IT."

The nurturing process involves baking with it every week or two.

Part of it is used as the starting point for today's batch of biscuits or pancakes.

What's left in the crock gets fed fresh flour, and it goes back into the refrigerator to live on.

Carol has maintained her sourdough start for 50 years, and her brother did it 50 years before that. Who started the start?

CAROL WRIGHT/PAROWAN: "I WOULDN'T BE SURPRISED IF IT WAS MY GREAT GRANDFATHER, WILLIAM ADAMS."

He may have brought it from Ireland more than 150 years ago.

People seem to love eating the sourdough with a pedigree.

Carey Shurtleff/Parowan Resident: "WELL OF COURSE, IT MAKES IT MORE SPECIAL BECAUSE YOU'RE PART OF THAT HISTORY."

Carol has farmed out her Sourdough Start to friends and relatives, giving out a lump of dough so they can start their own.

It's created a sort of gooey family tree, with living branches in perhaps hundreds of homes.

Nancy Dalton/Paragonah Resident: "IT, YEAH, IT'S GONE, I BET, FROM COAST TO COAST. EASILY, EASILY."

Which brings us to the story of Carol's nephew, the late Governor Scott Matheson.

It's one of the Matheson family's favorite stories.

It seems the Governor was flying to Washington, and wanted to take a lump of Carol's Sourdough Start along to his son who was living there at the time.

Norma Matheson/Late governor's wife: "I WHIPPED UP THE BATCH AND PUT IT IN A JAR... "

SCOTT MATHESON, JR: "HE PUT THE BOTTLE IN HERE AND....."

The problem is, Sourdough Start starts to grow when it's out of the refigerator.

NORMA MATHESON/LATE GOVERNOR'S WIFE: "AND IT EXPANDED SO MUCH IT BLEW THE TOP OFF THE JAR AND ALL OVER THE BRIEFCASE."

When the Governor landed in Washington he called his wife.

NORMA MATHESON/LATE GOVERNOR'S WIFE: "AND I CAN HEAR THIS KIND OF SQUISH, SQUISH, SQUISH IN THE BACKGROUND, AND THEY'RE SCRUBBING OUT HIS BRIEFCASE."

All those official papers, ruined.

NORMA MATHESON/LATE GOVERNOR'S WIFE: "HE WAS NOT A HAPPY GUY." Q: "DID HE EVER FORGIVE YOU?" A: "OH, WELL, HE HAD TO, OR I WOULDN'T HAVE KEPT MAKING SOURDOUGH, HAH, HAH."

JOHN HOLLENHORST: "WELL CAROL, THE SUSPENSE IS KILLING ME. ARE YOU GOING TO OFFER ME ONE?" CAROL: "I AM." HOLLENHORST: "EXCELLENT, THANK YOU."

Carol Wright's specialty is sourdough biscuits. The official dressing: Butter.

JOHN HOLLENHORST: "DYNAMITE. AND IT DOESN'T TASTE A DAY OVER 100 YEARS."

Carol is sure her sourdough Start will outlive her. But she's not sure where, or with who. Her own kids just don't care for sourdough.